Just You and I
by Maruchan-Ramen
Summary: [Chapter 14 up!]Kagome and Sango are caught in a dare and are now forced to go after the next two guys who turn the corner...who would have thought that getting a guy could be so difficult? InuKag MirSan
1. Two Girls, One Dare

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **After reading though this story, I decided it was about time I fixed the numerous spelling and grammatical errors…

Chapter 1  
Two Girls, One Dare

"Kagome! There you are!" Sango called, waving as she moved closer. Kagome turned to see a tall and pretty girl approaching; her long black-brown hair was pulled into a neat ponytail and she had a bright smile plastered on her pretty face.

"Not so loud Sango!" Kagome hissed, drawing her friend closer. Craning her neck just a tad, Kagome was able to whisper something into the other girl's ear.

"Yura completed her dare." Kagome said each word slowly, allowing them to fully sink in. Little by little, Sango's once cheerful expression turned into one of apprehension. Her eyebrows narrowed and she began chewing on her lower lip.

"Yeah," Kagome agreed with an equal amount of worry. "Who knows what she's gonna make us do." Both girls shuddered at the thought but before either could speak of the matter, the sound of skipping caught their attention. Not a moment too soon, Yura appeared, a smirk painted on her contented face.

"Hi girls," Yura greeted, her unusually high pitched voice gave a clearway sign she was mocking. Running a hand through her smooth jet black hair, Yura watched as both girls jumped in surprise and fear.

"Yura!" Sango cried. "Where did you come from?" Yura pressed a finger to Kagome's nose and leaned in, ignoring Sango's question altogether. Her violet orbs blazed, promising a quick and painful death.

"You guys are gonna pay," Yura threatened, the smirk replaced with a frown. "Now it's MY turn to dare you…_both_ of you."

"N-n-now Yura," Kagome stammered, gulping as if she were swallowing a mouthful of water. "Y-you wouldn't want t-to do something you'll regret." Sango nodded in agreement. Yura gave a loud snort before eyeing each with malice.

"Do you remember what you made me do?" she asked in a venomous voice.

"I dare you," Yura said, emulating Kagome in a high pitched voice.

"I don't sound like that!" Kagome interrupted, fright replaced momentarily by that famous temper.

"To strip in the boy's locker room…" Yura finished wryly. The brunettes enjoyed a good laugh, before recalling their present situation. It was dead silent within a minute. Yura cackled evilly, her blood red lips were puckered in amusement. Their stupid dare had not harmed her reputation as Shikon High's slut. She would have to remember to thank them later…

"Mm," Yura savored the feel of victory, her purple eyes glazing over with elation. "So now it's my turn."

"Should we run?" Sango muttered silently. Kagome shook her head; there was no point in trying to avoid this. Yura would only hunt them down. Sango hung her head low and waited for Yura to blurt out something repulsively evil. She was a demon, after all.

"I dare you two," Yura said, twiddling with an idea. She studied her two victims musingly. Kagome and Sango were like two innocent little schoolgirls, struggling like the rest of their kind to graduate and make something of themselves. _Maybe_, Yura thought, _I could corrupt them_.

"Go after the next two guys that turn that corner," Yura instructed, pointing a polished finger down the hallway. Like most hallways, this one went forward and split at an intersection. At the split, there were two corners; the dreaded corners.

"I thought you'd make us lick the gym floors or something," Sango commented, looking down the hallway in glee. Kagome nudged her to shut up and not give Yura ideas. At least this dare didn't seem so bad—just go after a couple guys and they'd be done.

"You disappoint me," the demon girl shook her head from side to side slowly, as if pained. Two pairs of chocolate brown eyes steadily peeled their attention away from the corner and fixed themselves on the speaker's smug countenance.

"Do you really think I'd make it that easy?" Yura brought a hand up to her face and laughed stridently. Judging by their expressions, they did.

"You don't just go after them" Yura explained, scolding the two schoolgirls as if they were naughty, disobedient children. Kagome felt her heart sink and her stomach do flip-flops. This could go wrong, _very _wrong.

"Whoever turns that corner will be your new boyfriend." Yura twirled a strand of hair as she thought some more. Kagome's jaw dropped, and just as Sango was about to dispute, Yura continued her ominous prophesy.

"You will make out with him," Yura looked at Kagome sardonically. "That's like kissing by the way."

Kagome blushed. "I _know_ what it means, Yura."

"_First_, you'll need to ask him out." Yura chuckled, rubbing her chin pensively. "But that shouldn't be so hard, ne?"

"B-but!" Kagome tried to cut in.

"But that's unfair! What if the guys really ugly? Or what if he's a creep or, or a stalker?" Sango ranted, her face becoming an unusual shade of red. "You're asking us to have a relationship with any random guy! That's completely intolerable!"

"Well too bad," Yura snapped. "Remember your promise? You'd let me dare you both into doing anything I want!" She stomped her foot impatiently and gave a cold stare.

"Gosh! We should've known" Sango tossed her hands up in defeat. "Yura's a slut and…and our dare was stupid!" Kagome sighed in resignation. Okay, so they weren't as sadistic as most teenagers—so what? All three heads twisted when they heard the heavy sound of footsteps approaching.

But it was only a teacher…

Kagome sighed in relief and looked away. Sango on the other hand, continued to stare and silently pray. Minutes passed by in a matter of seconds and it seemed as if only females or teachers walked by. Kagome felt extremely lucky and clapped her hands in joy.

"What if nobody—or no **guy** comes around the corner?" Kagome asked, feeling her hopes soar.

"Humph," Yura sneered. "Not likely."

"Hey maybe Kagome's right, maybe-" Sango stated, looking over at her friend joyfully. The crushed look on Kagome's visage told it all. Sango turned to where Yura and Kagome were looking and saw two boys. A stubborn hanyou and a lecherous monk...

**A/N:**If the first chapter doesn't give it away, Kagome and Sango will be doing the chasing instead of Inuyasha and Miroku. I'm giving the guys a break, Yippee! Tell me what you think and review please:)


	2. A Plan of Action

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **The characters in this story are in High School and are either sophomores or juniors. They are around 16-18 years old.

Chapter 2  
A Plan of Action

Yura frowned. She was expecting someone more along the lines of fat, hairy, and stupid. Instead, the girls lucked out and happened to get Inuyasha and Miroku. Not so bad, that is if you could ignore that fact that one was a major pervert and the other was, well, Inuyasha: An obstinate, egotistical jerk.

"Aaahhh! It's Miroku!" Sango whined, burrowing her face in the palms of her hands. She had flushed ten shades of red and felt like crawling under a rock. 'What have I done to deserve this?' she thought. Likewise, Kagome was rubbing her brown eyes in disbelief. 'Is that Inuyasha?'

"Um...uh, is-is that Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, slightly pointing. Her finger started quivering and she dropped it almost immediately. She knew what she saw...it was just the matter of believing that seemed difficult. 'I have to get that idiot to like me?' Kagome contemplated. 'Like me enough to go out with me?'

"Yes Kagome," Yura replied. "Your eyes don't deceive you." The girls watched in rapt attention as Inuyasha and Miroku walked by. Inuyasha stood tall, his long silver hair falling in wisps over his slender back. He glanced at the three girls, particularly Kagome who ogled at him in a daze. 'What's wrong with her?' he wondered suspiciously. 'Girls are so weird'

"What are you looking at?" Inuyasha snapped, feeling slightly nervous at the way Kagome stared. Her jaw dropped and her mouth seemed to open and close, as if she were at a lost of words. Miroku too couldn't help but notice the way Sango watched him, transfixed. She seemed to be in the same state as Kagome: shocked. He shrugged and followed Inuyasha, not really in the mood to grope a girl who was so out of it.

When they were out of earshot, Yura placed a hand on each shoulder, patting the stunned schoolgirls. She was going to enjoy the next couple of weeks...

"Well, best of luck" Yura teased while flicking a stray hair over her shoulder. She skipped off merrily and left both Kagome and Sango still speechless. After a couple of minutes of dead silence, Sango burst into tears.

"I'm too young to be groped!" she sobbed. Kagome subconsciously patted her friend on the back. 'Get Inuyasha to like me?' Kagome continued to ask meekly. This question had been pestering her brain for longer than she could handle. With a frustrated huff, she pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand...which was to get Inuyasha to like her, damn! Kagome turned her attention over to Sango. Poor girl had spent all of High School trying to stay away from the monk's "wandering hands" and how she had to walk right into them!

"Shh! You'll wake the whole school up!" Kagome upbraided. Sure, she vaguely understood what Sango was going through, but crying wasn't going to solve anything! Plus, it ruined Sango's image as a tough girl, the kind no guy could ever lay their hands on without undergoing some sort of pain. Kagome would shortly realize that Sango was shedding tears of frustration, not sadness.

"And look! Yura made us late for class!" Kagome pointed out, tapping her watch in irritation. That brought Sango back to reality and she quickly wiped away the tears, grasping Kagome's hand in the process and running to class.

"H-hey Sango!" Kagome cried. "Our class is this way!" Sango turned with a forced giggle and both girls hurried off to class.

:-:-:

"Mind explaining why you two are 15 minutes late to class?" Mr. Tanaka asked, eyeing the two culprits who tried sneaking in while he was lecturing.

"Well...err, we-" Kagome began slowly, trying to come up with a decent excuse. She flushed a beat red when her brain came up empty.

"I fell and Kagome had to help me" Sango blurted out, limping slightly to better demonstrate her "injury". It wasn't completely a lie, Sango thought. She _had_ tripped while coming up the stairs.

"Hmm" Mr. Tanaka pretended to be in deep thought. "And it took you 15 minutes to get to class?" Now it was Sango's turn to flush. Apparently, they were both horrible liars too.

"Umm...gomen?" Kagome offered, smiling weakly. They were in for it. Mr. Tanaka didn't take tardiness lightly. He was one of the strictest teachers. Not to mention he taught Kagome's worst subject: mathematics.

"Detention for both of you, Wednesday afternoons," he said promptly. "Now you may have a seat and join your classmates." Sango and Kagome both seated themselves and took out their textbooks to a silent classroom. Kagome sat next to Sango and watched as she angrily scribbled something down on a piece of paper, a note most likely. Once she was finished, Sango folded it and slid it to the edge of her desk. When the teacher wasn't looking, Kagome snatched and unfolded it:

Kagome,

I can't believe we've got detention! And it's all thanks to Yura. Let's just finish this foolish challenge so we can get some sort of revenge.

:Sango:

Kagome looked at Sango and nodded in determination. She dug through her backpack and pulled out a pencil, writing back a terse reply:

Sango,

OK, I guess it's worth a shot. Meet me at my house tonight and we'll sort things out.

By the way, you've got Miroku right: P

:Kagome:

Sango looked at the letter, turned to Kagome with a gulp and bobbed her head in affirmation. By golly, once this was over, Sango would kill Yura. How humiliating! She turned her attention back to the front where the chalkboard stood, covered with notes. Surprisingly, there was no professor. Turning to Kagome, Sango discovered the teacher standing smack in the middle.

"Sango, please hand me the note" he requested. It came out as more of a command and Sango quickly handed the note to Mr. Tanaka. 'No point getting into further trouble' she thought. He unfolded it and read it over before handing it back to Sango.

"Ladies, please handle your affairs outside of class," he demanded. "And pay attention please." Sango thought she would die of heat exhaustion; all of which was emitted from her tomato-like face. She turned to Kagome who was in the same boat. They spent the rest of class not bothering to write notes. Both simultaneously gave up note writing...at least in Mr. Tanaka's class. 'Great' Kagome thought. 'Now a teacher knows'

:-:-:

That night, Kagome laid sprawled out on her comfy bed, arms and legs spread out like an airplane. Sango sat on the peachy colored carpet, engrossed in a teen magazine. They had both purchased as many as possible after school, hoping for some love advice. They were becoming quite desperate...

"Listen to this," Sango said while munching on an apple. "Guys like girls with class...turn to page 17 for a wardrobe makeover." She looked at the page puzzled before asking; "Do you think it's true?"

"Nah, I doubt it," Kagome said, flicking the idea aside. "They are so clueless when it come to apparel...I could wear a bag to school and he wouldn't notice." Sango thought this over and nodded. 'Maybe Inuyasha wouldn't, but Miroku sure would...'

"Ump" Sango sighed as she flipped through the pages lazily. "We've spent all night reading this pointless junk..."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed, stifling a yawn. She had given up a half-hour ago and had decided to let Sango take over seeing how she was much more obdurate.

"I'm having second thoughts about Inuyasha..." Kagome said, rubbing a cheek in thought. She propped her elbows up on the mattress and laid her head down gently.

"You want Miroku?" Sango asked hopefully.

"Not exactly," Kagome answered with a chuckle while scanning the magazines that lay messily on the floor. "I'd go insane if the lecher laid a hand on me." Inuyasha may be headstrong, arrogant and rude, but at least he wasn't a womanizer! Sango could deal with Miroku's tendencies better than anyone else could. With a defeated sigh, Sango tossed a magazine aside and picked up another.

"Hey, wait!" Kagome said abruptly. She scooted herself off the bed and landed with a thump on the fuzzy floor next to Sango. Sango dropped her magazine, startled while Kagome busied herself by rummaging through magazines.

"This one!" with a triumphant shout, Kagome held up a 'NOW' magazine. She placed it between Sango and herself and pointed to where it said: How to get a Guy in 2 weeks in bold magenta letters. In a lime green, the subtitle read, "Twelve easy steps to getting the Man of Your Dreams--page 45".

"Ooh" Sango said giddily. "Think this is the answer to our problem?" Kagome shrugged and proceeded to turn to page 45. She scanned the introduction before eyeing the steps more carefully.

"Step one, smile often," Sango read aloud. She turned to Kagome, "Don't we always?" Kagome beamed and read number two, casting aside the long explanations on how to smile properly underneath step one.

"Step two; listen intently when he's speaking; a guy is only human and deserves your undivided attention."

"Hmm, guess that couldn't be too bad" Sango admitted. "That is, as long as he isn't speaking of perverse matters."

"But Inuyasha never talks to me!" Kagome admitted, aware of how difficult it would be to communicate with the hanyo.

"Doesn't matter, just listen...like in class when he's commenting on something" Sango advised, moving on to step three. "Strike a conversation with him! Guys like girls who know how to express themselves."

"No way," Kagome thought aloud. "He'd never be interested."

"Oh, just try anyway," Sango chided in a dismissive way. She was having doubts about Miroku being interested too but didn't want to mention them.

"Step four; Look him over, admire his muscles and keep your eyes focused on his mouth when you compliment him--don't forget to bat your lashes!" Kagome choked out the last few words. Sango grimaced and Kagome tried to hold in her dinner.

"Yuck!" Kagome tossed the magazine aside. "Forget that!"

After hours of skimming through magazines, Kagome dumped the lot in her wastebasket and threw herself onto her fluffy mattress. Sango remained on the floor, only this time, looked like she was ready to make snow angels on the carpet.

"Ugh! This is going to be harder than I thought" Sango confessed, brushing her bangs aside.

"Yeah," Came Kagome's muffled reply. "I guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way..."

"What's that?" Sango asked half-heartedly.

"Flirting." Kagome answered, letting loose a hefty groan.

**A/N:** Hmm…


	3. A Failed Attempt

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Made some minor changes to each chapter. Enjoy reading:)

Chapter 3  
A Failed Attempt

_Flirting with Inuyasha, there's nothing too it…_Kagome stood by her locker deep in thought. _Then again—does he know how to flirt? Do I? _The thought sent her into a panic.

"Hey Kagome-chan!" Sango greeted happily. She studied her friend's distressed face and clapped her on the back knowingly. "You'll do fine." Her simple reassurance wasn't enough. Kagome stared at her through big, misty brown eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" Kagome asked fearfully. "Sango, I think I've forgotten how!" Kagome slapped herself on the head, as if she'd just made a shocking discovery.

"Don't be so ridiculous!" Sango scolded kindly. "Of course you know how."

"You seem pretty confident." Kagome noted enviously.

"Yes," Sango agreed, grinning mischievously. "I plan to leave it all up to Miroku."

"Hey!" Kagome protested, grasping Sango's shrewd tactics, "That's unfair!" Truth be told, Miroku was a huge flirt, willing to do just about anything to impress a girl. Because of his gorgeous looks, girls fawned over him, and many even went as far as to welcome his perverted ways.

"Hai, it is" Sango consented, nodding gravely. "But I'll take my chances." She winked after the last remark.

"Mm, yeah" Kagome replied dreamily. _If only Inuyasha were that easy…_

"Hurry before we're late." Sango was the first to take note of the time and she rushed ahead, with Kagome following at a much slower pace. It wasn't long before the meandering brunette lost Sango in the swarm of students who tried to beat the tardy bell. Kagome continued to stumble to class, still lost in her own little world.

"Hey, move it wretch!" a familiar voice called. Kagome snapped out of her daydreaming as she felt her back collide against something firm and solid. She turned around to gaze into a pair of stunning amber eyes. Her heart skipped a beat and landed with a clunk once his words had settled into her muddled brain. Kagome shook the anger off and smiled tensely.

"What're you smiling about?" Inuyasha asked, getting uncomfortable. _What was it with this girl that made him feel so uneasy?_

"Oh nothing," Kagome replied earnestly. She made sure she was looking him right in the face, eye to eye, before batting her lashes. _Kami, I feel like a moron right now _Kagome thought. _Why oh why am I doing as that stupid book advised?_

Inuyasha studied Kagome carefully, his eyes squinting. "Kagome," Inuyasha said, forehead wrinkled in thought. He stepped closer to her and leaned in to get a better look.

"Nani?" Kagome asked, blinking slower in confusion. Inuyasha's face was getting extremely close. Kagome watched in awe. _How to get a guy in 2 weeks and it had only taken her a day? Something was not right…_

"There's something wrong with your eyes," Inuyasha concluded bluntly. "They kept blinking all funny." Kagome's eye then visibly twitched. _Boys are SO dense. _She breathed a sigh of relief, although part of her had wished for things to actually be that easy. _Guess that didn't work!_

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes." Kagome tried to set the matter aside. The best way to do that would be to change the subject and offer an affable smile.

"Want to walk to class together?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha agreed, eyeing her strangely. "You _sure_ there's nothing wrong with-"

"There's nothing wrong with them!" Kagome replied in a once-and-for-all tone. Inuyasha shrugged and the two made there way to class. Kagome mumbled a bunch of incoherent words under her breath about how stupid teen magazines were, how dumb boys could be, etcetera, etcetera…

"Girls are weird," Inuyasha murmured, watching Kagome continue to blather. When they reached class, Inuyasha grasped the brunette's shoulders and steered her to an open seat. And with that done, the hanyo went in search of Miroku and another open seat.

:-:-:

"Miroku!" Sango cried. "For the last time, I will not bear your child!" She turned with a huff and spotted Kagome seated at a desk. As the older brunette approached, she heard tidbits of what Kagome mumbled. Something about flirting with fools? Sango stared at her friend, in bewilderment.

"Kagome snap out of it!" Sango shook the smaller girl, all the while calling her name.

"What? Huh? Where is he?" Kagome asked in what she hoped was a harsh voice. Kagome looked around and noticed that she'd somehow ended up in class.

"Oh. Hey Sango-chan!"

"Hey yourself," Sango teased. "How'd it go?" She'd seen Kagome being lead into class and felt oddly jealous. Of course, this was assuming that Kagome had made a move and Inuyasha had responded…in an appropriate manner…

"Boys are so clueless!" Kagome exclaimed bitterly. "I made a fool of myself!"

"Trust me Kagome," Sango admitted. "You're not the only one…"

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, looking worriedly at the older girl. Sango smiled softly and, without delay, recalled her horrible morning.

:-:-:

"…Guess I'm stuck with what I've got" Sango said, clutching a math book to her chest. She turned to look at Kagome who was no where in sight. In her place stood Miroku, nodding at the words that were coming out of Sango's mouth.

"Houshi-sama?" Sango choked out. When had he shown up?

"Please continue," Miroku encouraged. "I find a woman's personal life to be…_quite _fascinating…" Sango blushed profusely. For the past 5 minutes, she'd been talking about purchasing undergarments.

"H-hentai!" Sango screamed, raising her hand to slap him. Miroku winced, readying himself…only to feel nothing other than a soft breeze grazing his left cheek. He heard the sound of Sango gasping and the scuffle of feet as she backed away.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" Miroku blinked in surprise. Had she just apologized when it had been his fault to begin with? Was the world coming to an end? Or had Sango's tough exterior finally cracked? Of all the girls he pursued, Sango was a prize never to be won. Miroku had given up a long time ago, but continued to give her a bit of a tease every now and then.

"Sango," Miroku whispered seductively. "You've changed your mind about me?"

"W-what do you mean?" Sango demanded, avoiding his capturing blue stare. Was it really that obvious? Would he use it to his advantage? Sango bit on her lower lip nervously and answered with a question of her own, "What gives you that idea?"

"For starters," Miroku pointed out, "You didn't slap me." This time, it was Sango's turn to wince and question whether or not she was really _that_ aggressive.

"I don't always slap you…" Sango said, toying with the hem of her school uniform.

"I guess you're right," Miroku agreed, laughing jovially. About to sigh with relief, Sango was taken by surprise when he said, "Sometimes it's a punch or a kick in the-"

"I do no such thing!" Sango broke in. She flushed and tried to calm herself, Miroku watching her curiously before asking once again.

"So you've changed your mind about me?"

"No!" Sango denied impetuously. Miroku dropped his head in disappointment. "I mean yes!" He raised his head with a lecherous grin and reached out to touch her bottom. Sango let out a small yelp but didn't hit him. Miroku _almost_ stumbled back, totally shocked by his getting away with it. Sango stood in shock at _letting_ him get away with it. The two stared at each other for quite some time before Miroku reached in for another go.

"Eek!" Sango shrieked, slapping his hand away with double the power. She dropped her books in the process. "Pervert!"

"Why Sango," Miroku said, feigning a hurt look. "Must you be so cruel?"

"Nice try houshi" Sango snapped whilst slapping away an intruding hand. She reached down to grab her textbook. Miroku, as hard as it is to grasp, didn't try anything…or so she thought.

"Lovely Sango" he commented out of the blue. His eyes were locked on her exposed cleavage. "Growing quite nicely-" The sound of a hard slap echoed down the emptying hallways.

Miroku held his swollen cheek with both hands and smiled knowingly. He could always count on Sango to set the limit.

"Come on," Sango huffed as she dragged a half-conscious boy by the scruff of his collar. "Or we'll be late for class…"

While walking to class, Miroku's wandering hands would reach out and get touchy feely. Many of his victims would giggle and squeal in delight. A few others would respond with their own little tricks. Sango simply sighed; if this was how he acted around _all _girls, how was she to get him to be hers?

"Houshi-sama," Sango asked hesitantly. "What do you look for in a woman?"

"Well," he answered, musing over the question. "I prefer women who are kind, compassionate and loving." he tapped his chin in thought. _Of course_ Sango thought sarcastically _loving. _It was obvious by now that Miroku's definition of loving was wholly different from her own.

"She must be gracious, honest, ethical…and above all-" Miroku looked Sango right in the eye.

"Yes?" Sango felt her breath hitch in her throat and a strange butterfly effect happening in the pit of her stomach.

"A girl who will bear my child." he finished flatly.

Sango grimaced. She couldn't do that! Ok, so it would be a quick way to end the dare _but_ under no circumstances was she going to sleep with him!

"I see," Sango said glumly.

"Are you offering?" Miroku asked alluringly. He raised and lowered his eyebrows suggestively.

"Huh? What?" Sango asked. She had spaced out; trying to piece together what he'd just shared. Miroku was easy to talk to, and yet, so hard to understand. She wasn't really sure if all this talking would do her any good.

"Will you bear my child?" he repeated.

:-:-:

"He asked you to bear his child?" Kagome asked in awe. Perhaps Sango was getting somewhere…

"Kagome," Sango said, exasperated. "It's Miroku…he acts that way around all females! Just look now" Sango pointed to the monk who was currently on his knees, begging some poor girl to "be his honored bride".

"Hmm…I guess your right" Kagome agreed. Her eyes shifted from Miroku to Inuyasha. He knocked Miroku on the head several times before redirecting his attention back to a magazine.

"When Inuyasha's not mean, stubborn, and rude," Kagome thought mentally. He's blunt and dense." She toyed with the idea of a romantic Inuyasha.

But that was like asking for a non-perverse Miroku."What if-" Sango thought aloud. "We could…_change them_?"

She had had similar dreams pulsating through her brain. The thought of a sainted Miroku made her heart beat non stop.

But that was like asking for a kind, gentle Inuyasha.

"What if-" a sharp voice boomed. "You two paid more attention in class?" Sango looked up in apprehension. Not again! This time, it was Mrs. Kurabo, the Chemistry teacher. One false move and little sophomore Kagome could get kicked out of the AP class.

"S-Sorry M'am!" Sango apologized frantically.

"We won't do it again!" Kagome added with a nervous smile.

"Hai," Mrs. Kurabo agreed. "It'd better not." The middle aged woman made her way back to the front and continued to teach. Wiping away beads of sweat, Sango sat rigid and alert. Kagome on the other hand, brushed aside the encounter with Mrs. Kurabo like lint off a jacket.

"Pssst!" the younger brunette hissed. "Let's get to know them first!" Even though they had just gotten into trouble, all that had processed in her mind was the silly notion of changing Inuyasha into a hopeless romantic.

"Hai, I agree" Sango whispered back. Still shaken by the incident, Sango hadn't heard a word Kagome said. "That was a close one, ne?"

"Um hum, but when?" Kagome asked, pushing the whole trouble thing aside. Sango whipped her head to the side and glared at Kagome. When the adamant girl had something on her mind, she focused on that and that only. As if a message from heaven, the speakers turned on and started playing lively festive music.

"This Friday, Shikon High will be hosting its 25th annual Fall Festival" a cheerful voice announced. "They'll be music, fun and games. Free for students and faculty. Fun starts at four and ends at nine…!"

**A/N: **A festival, oh boy!


	4. The Cafeteria Cleanup

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Cleaning, that's no fun! Chapter 4  
The Cafeteria Cleanup

"I can't believe it's Wednesday already!" Sango complained, tying her long raven hair into a ponytail. She scrutinized herself through a mirror attached to the wall of her locker door. Unlike Kagome, Sango seemed to still remember their getting into trouble…even more so because it always seemed to be _her_ that the teachers picked on and not Kagome.

"Wednesday?" Kagome asked curiously. "What's so bad about Wednesdays?" She carelessly flipped through a magazine, back leaned casually against a wall. It just _happened_ to have the same cover as the one our favorite Hanyo read before the start of class yesterday.

"Kagome! Don't you remember?" Sango hissed. She gave Kagome the evil eye before finally giving up, seeing how her efforts were futile. Kagome obviously didn't remember these things. "Mr. Tanaka…gave us detention." Kagome's eyes widened slightly before she gave a curt little nod.

"Earth to Kagome! We've got detention!" Sango repeated, waving her hands dramatically. Never before had Sango gotten detention _for not paying attention in class_. That always happened to people like…like…Inuyasha and Miroku! _Those_ were the first two names that popped into her head.

"Sango," Kagome piped up suddenly. Sango paused in her haranguing and watched Kagome with peculiarity. Kagome had not once taken her eyes off the magazine and now finally showed some signs of intelligence. "Wanna take the stupidity test?"

"NANI!" Sango cried out. Was Kagome even listening? She grabbed the nearest object from the crevices of her locker--a literature workbook and gave Kagome a good whacking.

"Ouch! Sango stop!" Kagome protested. "What was--ouch!" Sango continued to slap lightly until she was certain Kagome would pay attention. Kagome shielded herself with the only possession she carried: the magazine.

"Okay," Sango said, laughing a little. "Now that I've knocked some sense into you… "

"Yeah, you have" Kagome agreed lightly. She rolled up the crumpled magazine and folded her arms. "So what's so important about Wednesday?" Sango glared at Kagome before answering. So she really hadn't been listening…

"We've got detention today," Sango said with a groan. "For not paying attention in Mr. Tanaka's class" she added.

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Kagome admitted, almost dropping the magazine out of pure horror. "And I haven't told mama either!" Kagome gulped. She was unfamiliar with the process of going to detention. Did they call your parents? Or was there a conference of some sort?

"Yura knows," Sango said meditatively. "And she says that it's not too bad."

"Humph." Kagome shook her head in disbelief. Leave it to Yura to decide what was bad or not and they'd be in much more trouble.

"And you believe her?"

"Nah," Sango admitted. "But she's been to detention a lot more often than we have so there's no point in arguing."

"Guess you're right," Kagome concluded. She watched Sango slam the door to her locker before motioning Kagome leading the way. Kagome tightened her grip on the magazine and strolled after her.

"Do you even know where detention is?" Kagome asked hesitantly. "I've got no idea."

"To be honest. No." Sango replied. "But I guess a stop at the Main Office wouldn't do us any harm."

"Hum" Kagome approved while stealthily unrolling her magazine. Just seconds later, she was intently glued to a page called 'Top Ten Ramen Flavors'. Sango just rolled her eyes and continued to walk; every now and then having to redirect Kagome. When they'd finally reached the office, Sango nudged Kagome to show some respect.

"Hello, excuse me" Sango called. A wizened lady wearing a bandage over one eye stuck her head out from a pile of paperwork and craned her neck to see who the inquirer was.

"Yes?" she asked. Her nametag read 'Ms. Kaede' and she looked unusually grumpy. Who could blame her? It was a Wednesday afternoon and she was stuck with mounds of paperwork. Definitely not the time for visitors...

"Could you please tell us where detention is usually held?" Sango asked, locking her gaze on a picture frame hanging on the wall. She tried to ignore the dirty look the old lady was giving her and cursed silently for getting detention in the first place.

"Detention, eh?" Ms. Kaede asked. She shuffled through a pile of papers and picked up a blue schedule sheet. As she ran an index finger through the page, she muttered something under her breath about misbehaving children which only Sango caught. Kagome was much too busy reading her magazine to care.

"Wednesday detentions are held in the cafeteria," she read briskly. "Services include disposing of trash, cleaning tables, scrubbing floors-"

"Disposing of trash?" Sango felt dismayed. "Trash as in…garbage?" Ms. Kaede nodded and then returned to her work. Sango blinked several times before curling her lips in disgust. So this was detention...like paying services to the school. The thought of cleaning who knows what sort of gave her the creeps but it couldn't be all _that_ bad—right?

"Kagome" Sango said to her oblivious friend. "Did you hear _anything_ Ms. Kaede said?" This question had bugged Sango the entire time they spent in that dreaded office. Had Kagome paid the least bit of attention?

"Hn?" Kagome asked, once Sango's loud voice had become too annoying a distraction. "You mean the woman at the desk?"

"Haaai," Sango answered patiently. She snatched the magazine away from Kagome, who objected the instant her flimsy piece of entertainment was torn away. After a few minutes of pointlessly groping air, Kagome realized they were standing in front of the cafeteria.

"Oh no," Kagome whispered. Sango wore a doleful expression and nodded gravely. She was about to explain the details when…

"There isn't one female who's willing to bear my child," a familiar voice proclaimed. That comment was met with a scoffed 'Keh!' and "Maybe that's because you wanted to have them right away…_literally_ right away."

"Well, can you blame me, I-" the speaker stopped abruptly.

"Hello Sango!" Sango suppressed a moan and smiled limply at the happy-go-lucky monk standing before her. Miroku, as usual, sported that cheerful aura everywhere he went.

"Miroku," Sango said, straining a smile. She furtively half-dragged Kagome away from the two but the resolute girl had other plans in mind. Kagome was still determined as ever to "transform" Inuyasha, who, by the way, still hadn't acknowledged her presence. He had his arms crossed and was watching Sango curiously.

"H-hey Inuyasha!" Kagome hadn't meant for it to come out stuttered, but it did. She gave him her best smile and even waved a hand shyly.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, finally gracing her with a pair of piercing golden eyes. His stare made her legs go limp and insides turn to jelly. Kagome cursed herself for being so vulnerable.

"Did you get your eye fixed?" Kagome scowled inwardly but kept her cool as cucumber composure. Sango giggled quietly and Miroku raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"There was nothing wrong to begin with," Kagome replied sweetly. Her tone of voice was caustic and burned with patience.

"Baka." she exhaled the word quietly.

"So where are you two lovely ladies headed?" Miroku asked flirtatiously. It was a sad attempt at changing the subject. He didn't like the look Kagome was giving Inuyasha. Sparks were flying between the two and they sure as hell weren't sparks of love!

"Detention!" Kagome answered nonchalantly. When the word was issued from her mouth, Kagome lowered her head in shame. Sango patted her back reassuringly and smirked. _Finally _Kagome! But it just _had _to be Miroku, didn't it? Sango sighed in defeat. Of all people, it just _had_ to be him...

"Hey! So are we!" Miroku clapped Inuyasha on the back and grinned. "We'll go together!" Sango wrinkled her nose in disapproval but agreed quickly nodded in agreement once Kagome gave her a warning kick in the ankle: all of which went unnoticed by their companions.

"Sure Miroku!" Kagome replied merrily. She turned her attention to Inuyasha who just stared at her like she was possessed.

"Are you kidding me?" he sneered. "You guys got detention? What for?" Kagome grimaced. This was not going to be pretty…he'd tease her for the rest of her life and call her a student failure!

"Not paying attention in class" Sango answered icily. She looked at Kagome accusingly. "All Kagome's fault for not warning me in advance when the teacher was coming"

_This is it_ Kagome thought. _Brace yourself for total humiliation! _Inuyasha chuckled and gave Kagome a sidelong glance...he grinned. Kagome caught it and flushed in embarrassment and surprise.

"Sango. It wasn't all my fault" Kagome whispered meekly. She truly felt like an idiot and blushed madly at the accusation. But hadn't Inuyasha just smile at this so-called idiot? He'd finally paid some attention to her! At a price: she didn't want to start acting like a total moron just to get his attention.

"Well, let's go!" Miroku announced while pushing the cafeteria doors open. He politely held it opened for both girls, much to their delight. Inuyasha looked apathetically at Miroku who grinned wildly and wondered why girls got all giddy over such small ministrations. He would never understand them.

"So…what'd you guys do?" Sango inquired as an attempt to break the already forming ice. To be honest, she didn't understand how Miroku, who was often times well behaved, could get detention. He was fairly smart and got along great with almost anyone.

_Oh dear god! Was it the groping hands? _Sango hoped not!

"Miroku's just volunteering" Inuyasha explained after witnessing the blank look on Sango's face. Her mouth formed a small 'o' and she smiled hesitantly at Miroku. He had a determined sort of look etched on his face.

"Volunteering?" Kagome echoed. "You can volunteer for detention?"

"Sure," Inuyasha answered shrewdly. "Detention's like service only it's mandatory." Sango nodded. It was just as she'd suspected! Sango watched Kagome from the corner of her eye.

"Inu-" Kagome began softly. She stopped and flinched. No way.

They'd just entered the large cafeteria room _and it was a mess_. Food splattered here and there, chairs and tables disheveled, and mounds of napkins littered all over the place. Her heart went out to all the janitors who worked at Shikon High.

"Damn," Inuyasha grumbled. He'd been hoping for an easier job. Maybe wipe a couple tables or something. But this…this looked like some kind of war zone. "Guess we'd better get started."

"Here's a list of what's expected" Miroku said while waving a bright yellow paper. On it were the words: Wednesday Detention Form. The group all crowded around the sheet and began skimming through the contents. In essence, there were six different tasks that needed to be done before the six o'clock bell.

"Hmm, okay, I'll get working on the tables" Miroku suggested. He began making his way to the rows of tables when a hand timidly clutched his shoulder.

"Sango?" Miroku looked at her, startled. He was shocked by her reticent approach and gentleness.

"Houshi-sama," Sango stuttered, addressing him as she usually did. She immediately let go of his shoulder the instant he turned and tried to keep her voice steady. "Let me help."

A Few Minutes later…

Laughter could be heard from where Sango and Miroku stood scrubbing tables. It came as no bombshell to Inuyasha who knew that it didn't take long for Miroku to make someone feel comfortable. The two table workers had barely gotten any work accomplished when Miroku had started a game of war.

"You still haven't gotten me!" Miroku said victoriously. He stood on the other end of the table bracing the edge so hard that his knuckles turned white. Sango crushed a sponge between her hands until bubbles starting forming on the absorbent surface and flung the object towards Miroku, who had been too busy acting macho to notice. The sponge landed with a splat on his torso.

"Gotcha!" Sango declared, laughing imperiously. Miroku stood drenched in bubble solution from neck down. Though, Sango didn't have much time to celebrate because just moments later, she was being chased by a soaked and "angry" Miroku. He ran waving a dripping sponge above his head and shouting promises of revenge.

"You'll never win!" he pledged while wiping the sweat from his forehead with a free hand. Sango laughed until she almost cried. The pains in her belly were making it more and more difficult to run fast, let alone breathe. Sango weaved her way through clusters of chairs and tables with Miroku hot on her heel. He had the upper hand...his sponge was soaked to the brim. Sango took a quick peak behind to check how far she had gotten.

To her astonishment, the monk had completely disappeared...

:-:-:

"Alright Kagome," Inuyasha said, arms folded. "Ten bowls of Ramen says I can pick up all this trash in less then 30!" Kagome laughed at his pretentious claim and seated herself on a chair. Practically the whole lunchroom was littered with napkins: the trash, which he claimed he could pick up in less than a minute.

"You're on!" Kagome exclaimed cheerfully. _Prepare to buy me some ramen!_ she thought. Kagome knew exactly which flavor she wanted, after reading that magazine. It was the one with the beef, chicken and pork all blended in to make the perfect broth and it was piled high with noodles and veggies of all sorts! YUM!

"Prepare to buy me some ramen" Inuyasha voiced out loud. He took a deep breath and Kagome watched in anticipation. _No way could he could pick up all that_ Kagome convinced herself. _There's way too much!_ A minute passed and Inuyasha hadn't moved a muscle.

"Tell me when to go," the hanyo said impatiently. Kagome hurriedly apologized for her mistake and looked at her watch. She waited for the seconds hand to pass 12 before setting the timer for 30 seconds.

"Go."

Inuyasha took a deep breath, causing Kagome to lean forward in her seat excitedly. Maybe he had some skill that she didn't know about? Maybe he would actually be able to clean it all up? Kagome had heard some pretty wild stories about Inuyasha; stories which evolved around his being an excellent star soccer player.

Instead of zooming around with the speed of light, the star soccer player casually walked from napkin to napkin and began stuffing them in a black garbage bag. Kagome stared at him, confounded. _What was he doing? _She looked at her watch. Fifteen valuable seconds had come and gone and Inuyasha continued to pace around placidly.

"At that rate, you'll lose" Kagome commented in a singsong voice. "Fifteen seconds." Inuyasha looked up from his work. Kagome smiled playfully...until she noticed his smirk.

"Huh? You mean like 29 hours 59 minutes and 45 seconds" Inuyasha watched her face twist into bewilderment and couldn't hold it in any longer. He busted into a fit of laughter as Kagome stared down at her watch.

"W-What? I-I only gave you thirty…" Kagome began to recall little by little.

"Oh." Kagome was hit with the staggering realization that she'd just been duped by Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had tricked her into believing that he could pick up all this trash in 30 seconds when in reality, he'd given himself 30 hours. Her jaw dropped noticeably.

Smart. _Too damn smart_…

"I'm NOT buying you ten bowls of ramen" Kagome publicized, pointing a finger at the hanyo. "You tricked me!" She then crossed her arms and scowled at the still laughing hanyo.

"So?" Inuyasha retorted. "_You_ fell for it!"

"But--but" Kagome whimpered, sounding like a broken recorder. Damn! He was so stubborn! Kagome had to come up with a way to recant her offer...but no. Inuyasha would never jeopardize ramen! There was absolutely no way of getting out of this mess. Kagome sighed pitifully--

_But wait!_ Wouldn't this give her a chance to hang out with him for one whole afternoon! Sort of like _a date_? Kagome smiled at her brilliant idea. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. "Okay Inuyasha, you win."

"Good," Inuyasha said happily. He gave her one of his rare grins and she felt her heart flutter. Heck, she'd buy him ramen everyday if it meant seeing him this way.

"Now help me pick this stuff up." Once again, Inuyasha had proven himself to be a moment spoiler.

"Hey!" Kagome protested, her blissfulness slowly dissipating. "You're the one who said-"

"Yeah, I know what I said." Inuyasha interrupt callously. "Anyone could clean this place in 30 hours."

"Good point" Kagome admitted reluctantly. She got up from her seat and began picking up napkins. It was tedious work, but not for long.

"Bet I can pick up more than you" Inuyasha challenged. Kagome shook her head in amusement and automatically began gathering faster. Inuyasha caught on and soon they were rushing around the cafeteria in a frenzy. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the way things turned out. There were barely any napkins left and if ever one was found, the two fought over whom got it first.

"There!" Kagome shouted while pointing to a white speck hidden underneath a chair leg. She regretted ever raising her voice because in less than a second, Inuyasha was at it shouting, "Mine!"

By the end of the day, Inuyasha had won…again. Now, Kagome owed him exactly 15 bowls of ramen. If she kept this up, Kagome was sure she'd be broke. Oh well, at least the floors were clean.

"Hey Kagome-" Inuyasha spoke candidly, worthy of catching attention.

"Don't wanna hear it!" Kagome said while covering her ears. She was almost certain he had another bet in mind. He was using _that_ tone of voice. Inuyasha folded his puppy ears, feigning a hurt expression. The desired affect was imminent.

"Okay, what?" Kagome asked. She could ignore him all she wanted; jut not when he used the ears! Kagome felt so stupid for ever getting caught up in Yura's dare. He was supposed to fall with_ her_ and not the other way around!

"What're you doing this Friday?" Inuyasha asked, resting his head against a wall. Kagome studied the look on his face. He was grinning. _What was this Friday?  
_  
And then it hit her. Like a load of bricks had fallen from the sky. The Fall Festival!

"Um, nothing" Kagome answered. She crossed her fingers and waited for his reply. Inuyasha averted his gaze and looked a bit embarrassed. Kagome watched his actions with high expectations. Could it be? Would he...?

"Because I was wondering if…" Inuyasha began.

**A/N: **A Cliffhanger! Wow, my first one in this story!


	5. Takahashi Studios

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Several changes have been made…I changed the company name from Anichans to Takahashi Studios. It sounds a tad bit more professional!

Chapter 5  
Takahashi Studios

His eyes held an unusual sheen. They were so compelling, like a pool of gold; finely liquidized. Kagome's breath hitched as the minutes seemed to drag by ever so slowly...until he spoke.

"...If you would-," he paused, his voice getting lower and quieter.

Kagome was on the verge of exploding with happiness. He was going to ask her to the Fall Festival! _That is, once he gets over the fear of being rejected_. Kagome reasoned that if _he_ was too timid to ask, she'd put matters into her own hands and settle with a direct answer.

"YES!" Kagome announced ecstatically. She stood on tiptoes and embraced a very surprised hanyo. It all happened so fast. Her arms were tightly wound around his neck causing him to nearly topple to the floor. Poor Inuyasha didn't know what to do once he'd balanced himself and figured the least he could do was hug her back. And so, with a mental shrug, the hanyo carefully draped his arms around her to complete the hug. Well, as long as she was willing...

"T-thanks Kagome," Inuyasha stuttered once she'd finally decided to let go. He was feeling more than a little embarrassed at her sudden show of affection. "How does one o'clock sound?" Kagome pursed her lips in consideration; the festival started at four so one o'clock would be much too early.

"That's too early," Kagome pointed out. "The festival starts at four." Inuyasha looked startled but quickly recollected himself.

"Who said...anything about a festival?" he asked, looking at her musingly. Kagome gaped at him and felt her cheeks heating up gradually. If he wasn't asking her to the festival, what exactly was Inuyasha asking? She remembered the hug she had given him a moment ago and felt her innards churn uncomfortably.

"I...uh...okay then," Kagome said, trying as best as she could to avoid eye contact. "W-what did you want me to do?" Inuyasha studied her features before his once startled expression turned into smugness. Kagome had her face turned away from him, downwards and off to the side, looking at anything..._anything_ but him.

Her face had reddened dramatically and being taller than she, Inuyasha caught the glimpses of pink that tinged her cheeks, regardless of the fact that she did such a wonderful job of covering herself behind long wisps of raven hair.

"What? You didn't actually think that I'd ask you to the Festival-" he asked incredulously. "Did you?" Inuyasha let out a loud, taunting laugh. Kagome turned even redder, if possible, and bit back the urge to burst into tears. What a jerk!

"O-Of course not!" Kagome yelled defiantly. It was a lie but by her tone of voice and the way she boldly shouted, Kagome gave the impression that she was _dead serious_. Inuyasha's laughing ceased momentarily. He lowered his head to her level and inched closer, trying to read her expression.

"Yeah you did, don't lie Kagome," he told her, grinning mischievously. Kagome shook her head furiously while edging her face away from his scrutiny. He was getting so close that she could almost feel the moisture in his breath. If under different circumstances...like maybe a kiss, she would be grateful. But this was Inuyasha so no way was he going to kiss her anytime soon!

"I-I'm not lying" Kagome fibbed. She had lost the antagonistic flare, granted she really had one, due to Inuyasha's proximity. He abruptly pulled back and snorted.

"Keh! Whatever," the hanyo said with a shrug. Inuyasha grabbed his huge bag of napkins, seized hers in the process, and headed towards the trash bins in the back of the lunchroom. Kagome gave a sigh of relief. If he had kept up his previous charade, Kagome was sure she'd die of humiliation. She followed him at a distance, knowing it wouldn't give him any chance of asking hostile questions.

:-:-:

Sango stared in awe at the swarm of empty lunch tables. A moment later, she began looking around franticly. Miroku was no where in sight.

"Miroku?" Sango called softly. To the right, she saw Inuyasha lugging two gigantic trash bags, with Kagome pursuing at a distance. Now what was that all about? Sango looked up, scanning row upon row of light fixtures which brightened the otherwise drab room. No way could Miroku be up there...so the only other place to look was...

A cold, wet hand grabbed her ankle, sending a shocked Sango tumbling to the floor. She let out a yelp before losing her balance and prepared for a hard landing, which came shortly after.

"Oops" Miroku had meant to catch her, only, Sango had fallen much too fast and by the time his arms were out, she was sprawled out by his crisscrossed feet. The playboy was sitting 'Indian style' underneath a table, waiting patiently for her to walk by. And now, here she was and he had obviously screwed up somehow.

"Ouch," Sango moaned, rubbing a sore backside. Miroku's hand immediately reached out, offering to massage her back, and was received with a hard slap. Miroku drew back his hand and sat hunched over underneath a table, nursing an oddly large bruise. Sango sat nearby and was busily stretching her back.

"You didn't have to pull me under," Sango pointed out, feeling slightly guilty at having hit him so hard. "Here, let me."

She reached out and snatched the injured arm, making him wince slightly. Mustering all the courage she had at the moment, Sango sandwiched his hand between hers and rubbed gently. It was just amazing how smooth his skin was. Touching him this way sent butterflies whizzing through her body.

"Sango?" Miroku asked, dumfounded. She didn't look up, rather concentrated on the texture of his skin, letting her bangs act as a shield from his curious stare. She answered with a drawn out "Hmm?"

Seconds later, and she'd felt it. His free hand had somehow found its way into restricted territory.

:-:-:

Inuyasha tossed the two bags into the trash bin with ease. Nothing to brag about, they were only full of lightweight napkins after all. He carelessly turned his head to the side and check how far Kagome had gotten. She was traveling the speed equivalent to that of a slug.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat concerned. With a cleaning partner who moved slower than his grandma, Inuyasha was sure they'd never get anything done. "What's wrong?"

Kagome pretended not to hear anything and continued to take baby steps. Her plan backfired, however, when _he_ decided to walk towards _her_. Kagome 'eeped' and stood rigid with shock. It wasn't long before he stood an arm's distance away. Inuyasha reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, careful that his claws wouldn't hurt her.

"Are you feeling ok?" he inquired, feeling heat on his fingertips. "I think you've got a fever."

Kagome pulled back and shook her head anxiously. Inuyasha was quite for a while as his hand dropped to their normal position, but then shrugged and turned around.

"So are you still up for Friday?"

He said it like the last 15 minutes had never happened and Kagome wasn't sure if she wanted to punch him in the back of the head or hug him again. Inuyasha didn't show any signs of disgust, which was always a good thing, but he also didn't show any signs of appreciation.

"What's on Friday?" Kagome asked mildly. All _she_ could think of was the Fall Festival, and that thought had hardly ever crossed his mind.

"Work." Inuyasha sighed jadedly. "But I can't make it so I was wondering if-"

"If I could fill in for you?" Kagome asked, feeling her heart sink. So this was why he seemed so embarrassed. They hardly ever talked to one another, let alone knew each other, and here he was asking such a big favor.

"Yeah" he said, sighing. "I know it's kind of sudden-"

"No," Kagome answered, feeling more and more glum. "No."

But why hadn't he asked Miroku? That part would be explained shortly.

"Miroku and I work at the same place," Inuyasha explained. "So we've got the same problem."

Kagome looked skeptical and asked, "And that would be?"

"Extracurricular activities" Inuyasha answered, despondent. "But we've missed enough days of work to get us fired if we don't show up...or get replacements." He gulped and looked pleadingly at the girl standing before him.

"I really wouldn't trust this with anyone else," Inuyasha added earnestly. And it was true. He knew Kagome and Sango were probably the two most reliable people at Shikon High _and_ that Kagome had a hard time saying no.

"Please?"

"Well...I guess." Kagome agreed hesitantly. He had, after all, used a word which hardly ever adorned his vocabulary. Please. Kagome was not a stupid girl. She knew that people would often times try and take advantage of her altruism. Yet something deep within told her that Inuyasha was different.

It was settled then that she would work on Friday. That part didn't seem so difficult. Convincing Sango to come along would be the real challenge.

"Great!" Inuyasha exclaimed, giving her a hearty slap on the back. "I owe you one, Kagome"

Kagome waved the offer aside and asked him where he worked. Inuyasha chuckled lightly before replying, as if he expected her not to believe.

"I'm sure you've heard of it—Takahashi Studios?"

Kagome's jaw dropped. _No way_ could guys like Inuyasha and Miroku work there! It was perhaps the biggest music company in Japan, owned by one of the most successful corporate leaders in the world. Just the mere name Takahashi had audiences world-wide shaking their heads in recognition.

"You're kidding, right?" Kagome tried to coerce Inuyasha into calling it all a joke by letting out a disbelieving laugh. He couldn't expect her to be _that_ gullible. Inuyasha gave her a bored look, showing that he was used to having people react this way. Kagome was speechless. He wasn't making this up.

"You work at Takahashi's!" Kagome cried out, still unsure if she should believe him. Inuyasha nodded, like it was the most _normal _place to get a job. Kagome wasn't convinced and played along.

"Ok then, what time should I be there?"

"Around two." he answered flippantly. "And it doesn't really matter if you show up late."

He grinned good-naturedly. "Just show up."

Kagome gave him a mordant look for even suggesting such an idea. Show up late for something so…so indescribable? What kind of idiot does that?

"Yea, whatever" he replied coolly. Inuyasha dug a fist into his baggy jean pocket and extracted an assortment of items including: gum wrappers, rubber bands, paper clips, crumpled pieces of paper, and a pair of keys. He handed the keys to Kagome. She studied the silver keys carefully, letting her nail tap lightly against the smooth metallic surface. They definitely belonged to Takahashi employees and judging by the engraved letters I and M, it didn't take a genius to figure out which ones.

"Recording room 118," he stated out of bored repetition. "Fifth Floor, take a right at the elevator, it's the room next to the 'SCANTY' poster."

"Room 118, Fifth Floor, 'SCANTY' poster...gotcha!" Kagome repeated, urging her brain to remember all the directions. While there weren't that many, Kagome simply didn't want to mess up. Opportunities like these came rarely, if at all, for schoolgirls like Kagome and Sango.

"So what exactly do I do when I get there?" she asked. Kagome didn't bother asking for directions since that was pretty obvious. The Takahashi Building was hard to miss. With its abundance of billboard signs and flashy neon lights, you could literally spot it a mile away.

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, scratching his head in thought. "Not much, I guess you just kind of sit there..."

"Nani!" Kagome bellowed. "What kind of work is that?"

Inuyasha grinned. He wanted to say, "Boring work", but knew that it would be just one more reason not accept his proposal. Instead he said, "You get to listen to recording artists all day long."

Kagome considered this and concluded that it couldn't be all that bad. In fact, it sounded kind of fun. Cross that out...it sounded **really** fun. But, why then, did Inuyasha seem so reluctant to go? He made it sound as if work were the last place he wanted to be...and he worked at Takahashi's! There had to be some sort of flaw.

"Look," Inuyasha pleaded desperately. He felt as if she were going to change her mind at any minute. "I'll pick you up at 3:30 and take you to the Festival...that's what you want, isn't it?"

Kagome brightened at the mention of the Fall Festival but her happiness quickly dissipated. He made her sound like some sort of burden. And plus, was he trying to bribe her?

"Nah, I'll do it" Kagome snapped, feeling agitated. "You don't have to take me to the Fall Festival."

"Sounds good to me," Inuyasha responded cheerfully. Kagome sweatdropped as one eye was twitched with annoyance and disbelief. _How dense was this guy?_

"Moron" Kagome huffed, turning on her heels.

"Who're you calling a moron?" Inuyasha demanded, eager to start a fight. Kagome rolled her eyes and kept walking. How daunting...this was hopeless. She wasn't getting anywhere with Inuyasha. Maybe she'd have better luck at the festival...

:-:-:

After an additional hour of torture, four wearily eyed students made their way out of the lunchroom and towards the parking lots. Kagome snuck a couple of quick glances at Inuyasha. She didn't know why she was doing it, as it was becoming an infuriating habit.

"What're you looking at?" he growled. Kagome jerked her head to the side. She wanted to say something like, 'Don't be such a grouch', but vowed against it. She couldn't blame him for feeling a little pissed off. They had, after all, wasted a perfectly good afternoon.

"You guys wanna go grab a bite to eat?" Miroku glanced down at his watch and let out a low whistle. "We worked for over three hours."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Kagome replied. She looked over at Sango for consensus.

"No way!" The taller brunette shook her head forcefully. "I've got homework to finish!"

"Oh screw homework," Inuyasha barked, throwing the whole idea out the window. "You can always do it during class."

Kagome smiled wryly, "Maybe that's how _you _get it done."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, but came up with a witty comeback, one which he had the feeling would work in his favor…

"Don't you want to spend time with me?" Inuyasha bantered. That line alone did the trick as it had Kagome blushing a storm and mumbling under her breath about this and that. Sango rolled her eyes and half dragged Kagome towards her silver Pontiac.

"Sorry, but we're busy."

Sango was thinking smart; they had just spent, like Miroku said, over three hours working in a cafeteria. They reeked of sweat and cheap soap and the last place Sango wanted to be was near Miroku, who smelled just as bad.

"But..." Kagome whined. She remembered what Inuyasha had said a moment ago and growled in frustration. "Yeah, let's go home"

Inuyasha's smirk faded as Kagome turned away from him and furrowed her eyebrows. He let out a quite sigh before shaking his head. Miroku looked from Kagome to Inuyasha circumspectly.

"See you guys tomorrow," Sango said, letting go of Kagome's arm. The two girls turned and walked away. Inuyasha motioned for Miroku to follow him but the monk seemed too busy staring at something...

"Oi, let's go hentai."

Inuyasha made his way to his slick red corvette and fished for the keys in his black hoodie pocket. After pulling out two sets of keys, he smiled proudly at his car, showing the tip of a fang. Ah, sweet freedom...

Likewise, Miroku's attention was now centered at a shiny cerulean blue Cadillac XLR. He pressed a button on his pocket size control pad and the car made a clicking noise before a wave of white light emitted from the headlights. He looked over at Inuyasha and sort of nodded coolly.

A few yards away, Kagome looked at Sango and rolled her eyes. _Boys. _

Sango stifled a giggle before pulling out an assortment of keys. She flipped through them and selected a silver one. Kagome waited on the other side until Sango had unlocked the doors.

"What a day, huh?" she asked, grinning slightly. Kagome realized she hadn't told Sango about working at Takahashi's yet and she wanted to find a way to mention it. Sango looked at her curiously before answering.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kagome smiled nervously before getting in. She plopped herself down on the passengers seat and examined herself in the mirror. Three hours of detention could do a lot to a person's appearance, especially one's hair.

"Do you think we should have gone with them?" Sango asked worriedly. She watched as the two cars began making odd noises. Inuyasha and Miroku were trying to outdo one another. "To dinner, I mean" she quickly added.

"Yeah, but it's too late for that now." Kagome answered, brushing the though aside. "Speaking of which, are you busy this Friday?" There, the question was out in the open! Kagome mentally applauded herself for having the courage to just say it.

"Isn't this Friday the Fall Festival?" Sango pointed out the obvious.

Kagome sighed roughly, feeling slightly agitated at having remembered her exact conversation with Inuyasha. She ran a hand through her raven hair and shook her head, flustered.

"Well yeah, but...before that, are you busy?"

Sango thought about it for a moment. School would let out early allowing the student council time to set up. Since she was a member of the chief society, she had to stay after and help out.

"Yeah, I've got student council" she concluded after a brief pause. Kagome's eyes widened at the reminder and she let out a loud, frustrated groan while burying her face in the palms of her hands. Sango started the engine and frowned at her friend's displeasure as she began to peel out of the parking lot.

"What's this all about?"

"I-I promised Inuyasha that we'd sub for him and Miroku" Kagome explained peaking out through closed lids.

"You what!" Sango roared, letting the car come to a complete halt. There was a loud squeak as rubber wheels were abruptly scathed against pavement. Kagome winced and gripped the edge of her seat.

"Don't kill me" Kagome pleaded, giving Sango the sweet and innocent look. "Let me explain first!"

"What's there to explain?" Sango seethed, her eyes narrowing darkly. "You are getting carried away with this whole, 'Let's transform Inuyasha thing!"

"Well didn't _you_ want to change Miroku?" Kagome shot back hotly. She knew it wasn't much of a comeback but it was certainly enough to make Sango blush and settle down a bit. Sango held back the urge to shout, "Well, yeah!", and instead huffed angrily. Kagome took this as a good sign and continued.

"Like I said, continue driving" Kagome encouraged. Sango pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the nearly empty parking lot. Miroku and Inuyasha had long gone leaving Sango a little more at ease.

"Inuyasha and Miroku can't make it to work Friday." Kagome explained.

"You mean they're actually employed?" Sango joked, chuckling lightly.

"And he was wondering if we could cover for them" she continued briskly. "And I said 'yes' because-"

"Why can't they make it to work?" Sango interrupted sternly. For all they knew, this whole thing could be some sort of hoax or they could be making up the whole story just to get out of work of going to work. That seemed like something Inuyasha would do.

"Oh, because of extracurricular activities," Kagome explained. "You know how they're both part of the soccer team and Miroku swims..."

Sango nodded. She had heard rumors of how strict the coaches were and how Shikon High had a prestigious soccer team. They had lost only one game in the last two years. The athletes were only allowed to miss a certain number of meetings and the workouts were agonizingly long and excruciating.

"I see," Sango tapping her nails against the steering wheel. She eyed an oncoming red light. "So where do they work?"

"Get this" Kagome sat up straighter in her seat, trying to sound as honest as possible, "They work at Takahashi Studios!"

Sango stomped her foot on the brake pedal and turned towards Kagome in one swift motion, sending her long ponytail swooshing in the air like a whip. Kagome had expected nothing less and prepared for the oncoming assault of questions.

"**What** did you say?" Sango asked, managing to speak quickly but clearly. She had that sudden urge to stick a finger in her ear to clean out the cobwebs...but opted against it.

"They work at Takahashi Studios." Kagome repeated, holding in the urge to laugh at the incredulous expression on Sango's face. So this was how Inuyasha felt. She had to admit, it was sort of funny. Sango began to laugh shakily.

"That's funny Kagome," she said, giving her friend a playful punch on the arm. "So where do they really work?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and pointed to the traffic light. Sango gasped and hit the acceleration. There were several angry drivers so she sped up a bit. While driving, Sango briefly glared at Kagome through the inside rear-view-mirror. Kagome shrugged innocently, knowing it wasn't a lie.

"I'm serious" was her simple excuse.

Sango had known Kagome for many years and knew that every time she lied, she would constantly be in denial, changing her stories over and over again. When she was telling the truth, however, it would be terse and to the point. This was no lie, at least not a Kagome style lie.

"But...but how?" Sango demanded. "How could guys like Miroku and Inuyasha...get employed at a place like that?"

Kagome shrugged and shook her head. _She_ certainly had no idea. Sango began driving on autopilot and it was a matter of minutes before they reached Kagome's shrine. Kagome got out, surprised at Sango's ongoing silence. She didn't ask as many questions as she'd hoped. Kagome wasn't even sure if Sango would come along.

"So can you do it?" Kagome asked, slinging her backpack over a shoulder. Sango smiled dryly before replying.

"We'll see...it all depends on whether or not _I_ can find a replacement for Friday's Fall Festival setup."

Kagome grinned broadly and waved before climbing the steps to her house. Today had been such a long day and she was exhausted.

**A/N: **So, once again, the company name has been changed!


	6. Interrupted Message

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Hmm, I can't wait till I've fixed every single chapter!

**Yakitori- **Skewered grilled chicken

Chapter 6  
Interrupted Message

Inuyasha had just reached Kaoru's Express, a late night restaurant, and was about to seat himself down when the distant sound of screeching tires caught his attention. The hanyo smirked devilishly as he let his weight come crashing down on a cushiony chair.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" a waitress asked. She held a pad of paper and prepared to write down his order. Inuyasha skimmed through the menu, making faces at whatever he thought sounded nasty.

"You guys got any ramen here?" he asked, looking up at the suddenly surprised girl. She fiddled with the hem on her apron and then shook her head vigorously; as if afraid he would leave. Must be a newbie…

"Figures" he mumbled. "Guess I'll have-"

His request was muffled by the sound of the waitress as she let out a loud shriek. Inuyasha looked up, startled at the sudden commotion. The source of the problem: Miroku. Inuyasha looked sympathetically at the waitress who had rallied attention from everyone in the restaurant. She blushed madly and dashed away, mumbling an "I'll get your order right away!"

"But I haven't even ordered anything yet!" Inuyasha called after her.

Miroku smiled pleasantly and sat himself down across from Inuyasha. Inuyasha growled and shot Miroku a cold stare.

"I'm hungry" the hanyo snarled. He banged a fist on the table. "Damn it Miroku, did you have to molest the poor thing?"

Miroku looked slightly offend by Inuyasha's choice words, but chose ignored them. He stuffed both hands into his pockets and seated himself. What a day. It was past 9 p.m. and Inuyasha had insisted they go out and grab a bite to eat instead of heading home.

"You cheated" Miroku accused, seemingly out of the blue. Inuyasha had challenged him to a race and didn't warn in advance that Sunada Road was currently under construction.

"I had to find an alternate path and nearly hit a stop sign."

Inuyasha snickered, temporarily forgetting about his hunger. Miroku was a good sport and laugh along. At least he got his revenge with the waitress. Inuyasha would go hungry tonight. Miroku grinned mischievously at what his friend hadn't yet realized.

"So did you get us replacements?" Miroku asked casually. Inuyasha nodded, grazing his claw over a napkin lethargically. It shredded at contact and he was left with a pile of white fluff.

"Who?" Miroku pressed on, once Inuyasha had remained silent too long.

"Kagome and Sango" he answered, still not paying much attention. Miroku nodded in approval. Inuyasha looked uncertain and continued to play with the napkin pieces.

"Maybe we should just go to work" Inuyasha turned serious. "I mean, three solid hours of soccer practice is..." he trailed off as another waitress made her way to their table. The hanyo, in a moment of sheer desperation, knocked Miroku unconscious and waited for the waitress.

"Sorry for the wait," she apologized. "May I take your order?"

"Yeah, I'll have a plate of Yakitori, two bowls of stir-fry noodles, and some curry rice"

The waitress half-smiled and began scribbling down furiously on her pad. She then pointed at the unconscious Miroku and then looked back at Inuyasha peculiarly.

"Will _he_ be having anything?" she was poised and ready to write down more orders. Inuyasha carelessly looked at the menu and selected the first thing he noticed.

"Yeah, he'll have the fried catfish in sweet and sour sauce."

The waitress nodded and jotted the last part down. She turned and got ready to go just as Miroku woke up.

"I'll be back in a while with your orders" she called back. Inuyasha leaned back and waited for Miroku to fully recover.

"Huh? Where am I?" Miroku asked, rubbing his sore head. There were several new bumps forming and he didn't remember the last time...

"What the heck was that for?" Miroku demanded, finally recalling some past events. "You practically knocked me dead!"

"I think that was the point, baka" Inuyasha snapped.

"Replacements" Miroku began to gather pits and pieces of his memory. "We need replacements."

"I told you, Kagome and Sango" Inuyasha responded impatiently. He was having second thoughts. Maybe if they missed soccer practice instead...

"Don't even think about missing soccer practice" Miroku admonished, as if reading his thoughts. "Coach will kill us"

Inuyasha snorted. The coaches might be mad but there's no way they would kick two perfectly talented players off the team. Or, at least, there was no way they would kick _him_ out. Miroku was a different story since he was a better swimmer than soccer player.

Inuyasha sighed and began to stare enviously at a nearby table. _They_ were being served...

"Hungry" Inuyasha felt his stomach rumble softly. "I'm so damn hungry."

"Somehow, this doesn't feel right" Miroku said, yawning. "Did you give them the keys?"

Inuyasha nodded and began stabbing the table with the ends of a fork. What was taking so damn long? He noticed Miroku's silence and looked up curiously. Miroku looked as if he was thinking deeply about something.

"You wouldn't happen to have warned _curious_ little Kagome about-"

He hardly got a chance to finish.

"Shit" Inuyasha cursed and drowned out the other boy's last words.

:-:-:

Kagome fell upon her bed and began to doze off. It was past midnight and she had just finished her homework. It felt like she'd only slept for a couple minutes when her alarm clock began ringing. Kagome slammed her hand on her nightstand a couple times before she finally succeeded in hitting the off button.

"Urggg…" she groaned, sliding off her bed slowly. Kagome yawned and rubbed sleep deprived eyes. Today is Thursday, her brain told her. The alarm clock reads 7:40. Sango will be here in 5 minutes.

Something didn't sound right...

Five Minutes?

She shot out of bed like a bullet and dove towards the bathroom, grabbing her backpack in the process.

"Mooomm!" Kagome grabbed a toothbrush and began dousing it with toothpaste. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Downstairs she could hear the pitter patter of feet and someone climbing up the stairs. It was her grandpa. He had a couple of scrolls tucked under one arm and a held a piece of toast in another.

"Kagome?" he asked, surprised. "What are you still doing here?"

"Grandpa, where's mama?" Kagome asked through mouthfuls of toothpaste.

"She had to drive Souta to school." he replied, munching on his breakfast, oblivious to granddaughters distress.

"What are you still doing here?" he repeated.

"I woke up late," she explained, feeling oddly awake.

Kagome rinsed her mouth clean and splashed her face with a handful of cold water. On her way downstairs, Kagome gave her grandfather a quick peck on the cheek, happy that she had at least slept in her school uniform.

"Goodbye Kagome" her grandfather said before continuing his daily inspection of the house.

"Bye Grandpa!" Kagome yelled back. She threw herself out the door and stumbled down the stairs to the roadside. Sango sat waiting in her silver Pontiac, drumming her index fingers against the steering wheel. Kagome hurried over, swung the side door open in one fluid motion and sat down on the passenger's seat, happy to have made it on time…err…sort of.

"You're late." Sango chirped, indicating the obvious. Kagome sat breathing laboriously while trying to flatten out the creases on her skirt. She reached out and slammed the door shut.

"I know." was her brief reply. Sango gave a short laugh before driving off. When they reached the nearly filled parking lots, she parked next to a black pickup truck and unlocked the doors. Kagome scooted out, tossing her bag over a shoulder.

"We made it!" she exclaimed, pumping her fists into the air triumphantly.

"No thanks to you," Sango teased, checking her watch. After locking the doors, she followed Kagome into the school building and wasn't surprised to find the hallways crowded. It seemed everyone was trying to make it to class at the last minute. Kagome rushed to History class, calling a last minute goodbye to Sango who turned a corner towards AP Literature.

The bell rung just seconds after Kagome threw open the doors to Ms. Manoke's class. To her relief, the classroom shook with the sound of kids gossiping and chatting. The announcements blasted through the intercom, disrupting the chaos. That lively, yet annoying, festival music began to play.

"Just a reminder: tomorrow is the annual Shikon High Fall Festival!" the speaker announced joyously. It sounded a lot like a tape recording. "School will let out at around noon for last minute preparations. Students are encouraged to come bringing family members and friends."

There was a pause and the sound of shuffling papers could be heard over the speakers. The real announcer cleared his throat for further attention.

"There **_will_** be soccer practice tomorrow, regardless of the festival, happening from noon until three." A couple groans could be heard from the few students who were involved in soccer.

"In addition, there will be a student council meeting this afternoon to cast final votes on festival games and activities." the announcer continued. "If you are interested in Track and Field, sign ups are this afternoon in the North entrance." There was a pause.

"That about wraps it up for your morning announcements. Have a good day."

Kagome sat pondering over what she had just heard before snapping back to reality at the sound of Ms. Manoke's voice.

"Okay class, let's get started!" Ms. Manoke turned on the overhead with the flick of a switch. She was a young woman, in her mid-twenties, always neat and composed. Kagome pulled out a notebook and began taking notes, humming softly to herself. For the next 45 minutes, all that could be heard was the vigorous scribbling of pencils and the faint ticking of a clock.

When the bell rung Kagome was the first one out. She was determined to make it on time to her next hour: Physical Education. That class was shared with Sango, a certain hanyo, playboy..._and_

"Ka-go-me," Kagome grimaced. It was Yura, come to ruin her otherwise tolerable day.

:-:-:

"So did you tell her?" Miroku asked, for just about the hundredth time that day. He was received with a much deserved punch in the face. Inuyasha rubbed a satisfied fist before answering.

"For the last time, no"

"Why?" Miroku moaned, rubbing his swelled face. Inuyasha smirked.

"Why did I punch you?" the hanyo asked, chuckling slightly. Miroku wasn't amused and stopped walking. They were both headed towards the locker rooms to change for gym class.

"No, I mean, why haven't you told her yet?"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. He had spent literally all morning searching for the duo, or at least one of them, and had even come to school early. Inuyasha was feeling a little peeved but quickly cooled down when he realized that he would see Kagome in class.

"I couldn't find her," Inuyasha replied swiftly. No questions asked; the two headed towards the locker rooms.

:-:-:

A short, balding, beefy man stood at the head of the gym room, scanning row upon row of high school students, marking on a pad which ones were present and absent. This was the gym teacher, Mr. Hattori. He looked like an army man with his crew cut and air of authority.

"Alright," he boomed. "It's nice out today." Each sentence was spoken clearly and effectively loud. "So we'll be running the track—boys and girls separate."

Kagome hoisted herself up and jogged towards the backdoors, followed by Sango who busied herself with her hair. The mass of students congregated at the door made it hard to get out but she eventually succeeded. Sango followed shortly and the two began chatting nonstop.

"What a horrible start," Kagome commented, tugging at a loose piece of thread on her maroon t-shirt.

"Yura caught up with me this morning and asked me how the dare was going."

"What did you tell her?" Sango asked, only half interested.

"I completely lied" Kagome confessed, feeling dismayed. "I told her that things were going great."

Sango laughed and then began to jog at a leisurely pace. Kagome followed.

"Speaking of great..." Sango began slyly. "What happened between you and Inuyasha during detention?"

Kagome mentally slapped herself. She hadn't told Sango about the hug she'd given Inuyasha and how he had misinterpreted it and...Of course, the ramen date she owed Inuyasha after loosing that stupid bet.

After going through the details, Kagome felt as if a great burden had been lifted.

"You and Inuyasha are going on a date?" Sango didn't know what to think.

"Well it's not really a date," Kagome denied, flushing a light pink.

"What happened between you and Miroku?" she felt an overpowering need to change the subject.

Sango felt flustered. She turned her head away and started fanning her face.

"It's hot today," Sango remarked. Kagome smiled playfully. So something _had_ happened!

:-:-:

Inuyasha vented his anger out by outrunning a panting Miroku. Stupid Mr. Hattori had decided to separate guys and girls, putting them in different tracks. He glanced over at the adjacent field where the girls were and searched for Kagome. She stood out amongst the other girls, her hair hung loosely by her side. He was tempted to shout out her name but scolded himself for coming up with such a ridiculous idea. It wasn't like they were going out or anything.

"So when're you going to tell her?" Miroku taunted. He took off as soon as the words spilled out, followed by a pissed off hanyo. Mr. Hattori stood on the sidelines and timed the boys running. Over on the girl's track, his assistant and school secretary, Ms. Kaede presided.

"Congratulations!" Mr. Hattori shouted after Miroku who was still running for his life. He pointed at his watch, tapping it slightly. "This is a new record!"

Miroku had run the mile in a little over four minutes with Inuyasha trailing just inches behind.

When that was all over, a sweaty and beat up Miroku struggled to keep up with the rest of the class as they headed towards the locker rooms. Sango caught up with Miroku, hesitant over whether or not she could do this. Kagome had advised her to offer some sort of congrats.

She placed a hand on his shoulder but quickly removed it once realizing how much sweat had accumulated on his dark blue t-shirt. Miroku turned, astoundingly, his wounds, inflicted by Inuyasha, had healed.

"Sango-chan, hey," Miroku pushed aside his sweaty bangs and spoke in pants. He cleared his throat.

"Please excuse my appearance I-"

"Congratulations!" she blurted out, reaching over to grasp his hand for a shake. Miroku stood dumbstruck as both of Sango's hands enclosed around his own in a firm handshake.

"Thanks," Miroku responded. "I guess."

Sango turned on her heel, refusing to let anything embarrassing happen. She had done her part, used up all her courage, and now asked for nothing more than to just lie on her comfortable bed and fall asleep.

Kagome spotted Inuyasha standing a little ways off, talking to the gym instructor, Mr. Hattori. They made eye contact briefly and she watched as he excused himself and headed over—over to her? Kagome couldn't believe it!

"Hey Kagome," Inuyasha greeted coolly, he motioned for them to keep walking and Kagome complied.

"Uh, look, about tomorrow," Inuyasha began. He didn't know where or how to start and decided to speak whatever was on his mind.

"When you, uh, get there," Inuyasha continued.

"Takashi!" Mr. Hattori's loud voice roared and cut into their conversation. "Get over here!"

"Don't open it," was all Kagome heard before Inuyasha turned and headed back into the gym room. _Gods_ Inuyasha thought. _I am such an idiot_. Kagome stared after him, confused at what he had been trying to tell her. With a small shrug, Kagome hurried off to change.

:-:-:

"You know" Sango remarked while walking to the Student Council Meeting after school. "The key to a guy's heart is through his stomach." She was giving Kagome last minute piece of advice, referring to her upcoming date with Inuyasha.

"That would certainly apply to someone like Inuyasha," Kagome smiled distractedly. "But I don't know about Miroku."

Sango rolled her eyes and resolved that she was simply too tired for any advice giving. It was a Thursday, one day before the huge Fall Festival. She was zoning out and now obligated to go to a meeting. The two friends parted at Room 215 and Kagome headed home, excited for what was to come.

**A/N: **Six down, a couple more to go…sigh…


	7. Get me out of here!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Okay, again, I've introduced some new and very minor characters. I wanted to share some of the stuff that I learned about radio stations. I hope that didn't sound too cheesy.

Chapter 7  
Get me out of here!

"Make a left at the Yamanote Station—then take the south exit on Tokyo Meguro Line" Kagome instructed, perusing through a map. Sango stole a quick glance at the diagram of Tokyo. Getting to Takahashi's was a lot harder than she'd imagined, especially during noon hours. The busy streets of Tokyo were lined with cars, buses, taxis, bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians.

"We should have taken the train" Sango groaned, banging her head softly against the steering wheel. They were currently waiting for the light to turn green and people to stop swarming into the crossroad.

"Relax," Kagome said, feeling optimistic. "We'll make it on time."

Sango immediately raised her head at the sound of the crossing guard's whistle and sped up eagerly. Kagome sighed, so much for being mellow.

As the two drew closer and closer the Takahashi building, all they could do was gape at the immense size of true corporate power. A skyscraper with countless floors made up of tiny crystal clear windows reflected the perfect blue sky. The scene was breathtaking.

"I wonder what it looks like at night" Sango marveled, once she'd finally found her voice. They both knew the answer to that question from the countless nights of gazing through bedroom windows. The building's magnificent neon colors emitted an almost ethereal glow.

By the time Kagome and Sango reached Takahashi Studios, it was almost two. They had approximately ten minutes to park, sign in, and get to their work station which, incidentally, was on the fifth floor. Kagome scolded herself silently, as did Sango, for being too overwhelmed and completely wasting a good five minutes.

"Now where do you suppose we park?" Sango rubbed her head tautly, hoping Kagome would know the answer. Rows upon rows of classy looking cars lined a crowded outdoors parking lot and Kagome could sense the anxiety which seemed to radiate in waves around Sango.

"What about over there?" she suggested, pointing to a miraculously empty lot. Sango parked at once, withdrew her key from the ignition, and took off, not once noticing a **reserved** sign posted off to the right.

:-:-:

"Hello and welcome to Takahashi Studios!"

A friendly receptionist was seated behind a polished oak desk. Her enormous smile revealed a set of pearly whites which complimented her rather large green eyes, which were currently locked on the two visitors. Her nametag read Sakura which was also happened to be the color of her hair.

Looking around tensely, Sango took charge and asked, "Where do we sign in?"

"We're the replacements for um, Miroku and Inuyasha" Kagome was unsure if using their first names make her credible enough.

"Oh yes! Miroku and Inuyasha" Sakura sounded gleeful. Sango arched an eyebrow but remained quite. The secretary typed something on her computer, her freshly manicured nails made a tapping noise every time she hit a key.

"Could you give me your names please?" she requested.

"I am Kagome Higurashi" Kagome answered, peeking at her watch. Boy, they were really late.

"And Sango Taijiya" Sango felt time pressured but tried to keep her voice from wavering. "Will that be all?"

Sakura looked up and grinned. "Yes and the elevators are to your right—have a-"

Sango and Kagome caught the words _elevator_ and _to your right_ and were gone in a flash calling back a messy thank you. To their luck, the elevators, all six, were packed. Their only options were to wait it out or take the stairs. Sango opted for the stairs while Kagome leaned despairingly against a wall.

"See ya at the top Kagome!" Sango yelled. The sound of her voice echoed down as she ascended the stairs.

Once her eyes had left the retreating figure, Kagome folded her arms and sighed deeply as she focused her attention on the attractive layout of the first floor. Every inch was carpeted in a creamy white while the walls were splashed with an equally light pinkish orange. There were cozy sofas and armchairs all nestled close to one another, good for socializing, and flowering plants strategically positioned all about giving the room a sophisticated yet open feel. An abundance of paintings made this floor seemed more like a museum than music studio. Then again, this was only the first floor.

"Ding!"

Kagome whirled around to face the elevator which had just opened and hurried in. It was stark empty to the schoolgirl's relief. She shakily jabbed at number 5, willing the doors to close before she was ambushed.

:-:-:

"Whew!" whipping her brow, Kagome exhaled. The elevator had successfully dropped her off on the fifth floor without being stopped once. As if she would have let it! Kagome stepped out expecting to see a floor similar to the first, quiet and serene and found more than expected.

A long and very broad hallway lay perpendicular, splitting one smaller pathway in half. There were doors stationed on either side of the main passageway, similar to a hotel. People were rushing in and out, sending mixed greetings to one another. Some were barking orders, others laughing and chatting. Kagome readjusted her dark blue plaid miniskirt and took an uneven breath.

"Hey there!" someone called causing her eyes to widen. She spotted a man in the distance, motioning her to come forward. He was probably in his early twenties and wore very stylish rectangle glasses, brimmed with a dark coat of titanium silver which embellished otherwise dull brown eyes. His hair was a sandy blond and tousled freely.

Kagome whispered a silent "me?" and pointed to herself. The man chuckled as he approached her.

"You new here?" he asked, rubbing a clean-cut goatee. He was fairly attractive with a very warm and had a very welcoming smile. Kagome nodded, and returned the smile.

"You can call me Ryu," the man offered, shaking her hand politely. Amongst the clamor and chaos, he seemed to be more laid back and calm.

"Kagome" the amiable girl responded. "My name is Kagome."

Ryu studied her carefully. "You seem pretty young…how many years of experience?" Kagome blushed but didn't answer right away.

"Or are you a singer?" Ryu whipped out a black notebook and bowed his head brazenly. "Please, give me your autograph!"

Kagome began to laugh freely. Ryu tucked his checkbook away, glad to have made the newbie ease up and feel more at home.

"Do you know how a radio station works?" Ryu grinned boyishly. In response, Kagome shook her head and smiled.

"Then allow me to give you a tour" he began by leading Kagome closer to the mob. Eager to learn about Ryu's profession, as well as that of Inuyasha's, Kagome followed dutifully.

"This is the On-Air Control Room" he explained, rapping on a door gently. "It's the main broadcasting facility. It's equipped with microphones, telephone lines, CD players, and the audio mixer."

He paused, waved to a passerby and gave them thumbs up before continuing.

"And over here is the Production Room where we record and edit anything new."

"Our behind the scenes, CTA area" he gestured to another door which was left partially ajar. Kagome caught a quick glimpse inside and witnessed a small group of people pacing back and forth with headsets on.

"The CTA connects to other radio stations in Japan, as well as to our listeners." Kagome wished that she'd brought a notepad and pencil along to take notes. Ryu talked nonstop and went into a considerable amount of detail.

"The main talk studio, where the host talks to the audience, is located a few staircases up and links to all Production rooms owned by Takahashi's." Kagome nodded. While Ryu did an excellent job as tour guide, the schoolgirl doubted she would ever grasp true understanding.

"Ryu! They need you downstairs!" a woman's voice beckoned. Ryu turned to Kagome and patted her on the shoulder.

"It was nice meeting you Kagome," he said sincerely. He drew his hands back and stuffed them into the pockets of his slacks. "Enjoy work, ne?"

"I will, thank you," Kagome assured waving as the man disappeared into a descending elevator.

"Hikaru! There you are!" the same shrill voice exclaimed. An instant later, a pudgy short female clad in a business suite waddled out from nowhere and snatched Kagome's hand. She dragged her to god knows where.

"Excuse me-" Kagome protested to no avail. The gregarious woman kept talking to this Hikaru woman, which she presumed was Kagome. When they had reached their destination, with a shove, Kagome was sent flying in, the door slammed shortly after.

"Took you long enough!" a blur of brown rushed forward and pulled Kagome into a tight hug.

"Sango!" Kagome gasped, trying to breath. Sango pulled back quickly and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Takahashi's Studios is SO awesome!" she cried, stretching her arms high into the air. Kagome giggled at witnessing her friend's euphoric reaction. Kagome looked around, studying her surroundings with keen interest. This room was much dimmer; the lights were adjustable and set to the mood of the performer. A huge stage stood in the center of the room, a majority of the lights overhead. Bordering the beautifully decorated stage was a bunch of expensive looking equipment as well as a central working space where it was all operated from.

"Look Kagome," Sango said waving a piece of paper. Kagome snatched the paper and regarded what was causing Sango's attitude to skyrocket. On it was a list of artists and bands that had been on-air that week including BoA, V-6, Dream, Do as Infinity, Hitomi, and Ayumi Hamasaki. (A/N: These are the actual singers on the Inuyasha soundtrack!)

"N-no way!" Kagome stuttered as her hand began to tremble.

"Yes way" Sango assured her, seizing the paper back in the process. She cuffed Kagome's hand and led her to the managing desk where the two would be fiddling with the equipment all day long. It was fairly easy, save for maybe the copious amount of buttons.

"Maybe we'll get to meet them!" Kagome voiced hungrily, eyes becoming starry. Sango shook her head, scoffing lightly.

"Nah," she replied checking the schedule once more. Since they were newbie, she had a strong feeling they wouldn't handle such serious business. However, knowing that your favorite singers had or would perform here, perhaps in this very room, was enough to make anyone thrilled, Sango included.

"We've got a local band called Wolf's Lair performing today" Sango noted. "And it looks as if they come every week Friday."

"Wolf's Lair?" Kagome echoed. "Hum, wonder if they're any good"

:-:-:

A tall boy stepped into the dim spotlight carrying in his sturdy right arm an electric guitar, which he eventually strung over his shoulder. He wore an auburn band on his forehead, pushing back his bangs to a more tolerable level, and had long straight black hair tied up handsomely.

As the lights intensified, bright cerulean blue eyes hurled a striking glare in Kagome's direction and the boy began to yell profanity.

"Fuck you dog turd—you better not **_forget_** to press record this time!"

Kagome's eyes widened as did Sango's and both stared at the jerk...err, wolf demon, in alarm. A few seconds later, two more demon boys appeared, one spinning a set of drumsticks rather impressively, the other dragging an extension cord along haphazardly.

"Damn lights" the first boy muttered, blinking profusely. When his eyes were finally well adjusted, he sort of gawked.

"He didn't mean that" the spiky haired demon with drumsticks proclaimed. Eyes as wide as saucers, he had stopped dead in his tracks. "Honest!"

"Y-yeah!" the second demon added, dropping his extension cord in sheer fright. He swooped down and retrieved it in a flash, eye never leaving Sango and Kagome. This boy had short silver hair save for a splotch of black in the front.

"Who are you three?" Kagome asked, feeling both uncomfortable and flustered at the same time.

"Uh, s-sorry about that" the first boy apologized, flushing lightly. "I, I'm Kouga and this is my band—Wolf's Lair"

That was all Sango needed before she broke out into a huge smile and nudged Kagome to do that same. It was all part of the doing the job.

"I'm Sango and this is Kagome" Sango introduced. She took a minute to examine his casual attire. Kouga, obviously the leader, wore a spotless white unbuttoned dress shirt which covered an orange t-shirt, and denim jeans which were sagged rather tastefully.

"Nice to meet you two" Kouga dipped his head a little and then looked in the direction of the other two wolf demons whom were currently struggling to untangle a cord.

"Hakkaku, Ginta" he spoke in a commanding voice. Both demons stopped what they were doing and looked up. Kagome stifled a giggle; they looked ridiculous all tied up in black extension cord. She approached the stage, Sango by her side.

"Not to be rude or anything" Kouga began. "But where is dog turr-I mean, did he get fired?" Kouga rephrased his question with hopeful earnest. With a prompt tug, he freed his two companions from the vine-like cable.

Sango looked puzzled for a moment but then answered. "We're _substitutes_ for Inuyasha and Miroku…if that helps any."

"Oh good, maybe we can actually get something done" Hakkaku, the one with the extension cord, said. He bent down and began hooking his own guitar into an amplifier which had already been set up. Kouga laughed haughtily and did the same.

"What do you mean?" Kagome drew closer, pushing herself up on stage. Kouga noticed and was by her side in an instant, pulling her up and then assisting Sango. He returned to his guitar and began tuning it, testing several chords.

"We meet here every Friday" Ginta shifted to get more comfortable in the drumming seat. As he elucidated, he twirled a drumstick between his index and middle finger.

"Unfortunately, so does Inuyasha."

"Not saying he's a bad guy" Hakkaku put in, earning a snarl from Kouga. "It's just whenever you put those two together-" he nodded in Kouga's direction. "There's alotta damage."

Kagome gulped upon seeing Kouga's stormy eyes flash at the mention of Inuyasha. So they were rivals..._that might explain why he hates coming to work,_ Kagome reasoned.

"What about Miroku?" Sango asked trying to sound apathetic.

"Oh he's not so bad," Hakkaku replied, fishing a pick out of his pocket. Sango gave a small sigh of relief and turned towards Kagome.

"Though he does have a tendency to grope women a lot," Sango winced at this.

:-:-:

Back at the managing desk, Kagome interlaced her fingers together and propped her elbows on the work table. Sango dropped down on an office chair and began spinning lazily. The boys were still prepping, connecting the wires, speakers, and microphones. Kagome had insisted that they go help but as Sango pointed out, both girls lacked experience and would only impede.

"You know," Kagome though aloud. "Inuyasha tried to tell me something during gym yesterday...but I can't seem to remember what-"

Sango grunted, toying with the 'M' key Kagome had given her. She thought about how it belonged to Miroku and blushed softly. Why did he have to be such a womanizer?

"-and he told me not to—not to—huh."

"Huh?" Sango asked, utterly lost. For the last minute, Kagome had been muttering about something.

"Alright ladies," Kouga's interrupted. His rough, yet sensuous voice cracked through the microphone. "Cue us"

Kagome and Sango each put on a set of mega headphones, and Kagome reached over to hit the record button. Just then, the doors swung open with a loud clunk and in stepped a tall and very pretty woman holding a clipboard. She was followed by an eager stream of photographers and cameramen.

"Whaa...?" Kouga trailed off as the cameras got closer and began zoning in on his face. The woman smiled pleasantly and move towards the desk, her heels clicked against the ceramic flooring. Both girls, equally as astonished as the three wolves, shook her hand on autopilot.

"Hi there, I'm Hikaru Okumura."

Kagome gasped as she realized that this was who the businesswoman had mistaken her for. Hikaru Okumura was slender and agile. Her hair was tied up into a neat bun and the style fit her oval frame perfectly.

"Sorry I'm late" she apologized, seating herself beside Sango. "Traffic was just awful!" She looked around and upon seeing the confused faces of the five members; she let of a loud but cheerful laugh.

"P-please excuse me!" the woman choked, covering her mouth with the palm of her hand. "But you all look so confused!" She laughed a bit more, getting weird looks from everyone including the photographers and cameramen.

"Allow me to explain" she begged, clearing her voice.

"I thought they already knew" a gruff voice cut in, it was an impatient photographer. He was skinny and mouse-like and smoked a cigarette in one hand, and held his camera in the other.

"I'm afraid not" Kagome said, her eyebrows weaving in perplexity. Kouga growled at a cameraman who was zooming in too close and nodded in agreement.

"Hikaru" the man scolded. "_Surely_-"

"These are replacements," she snapped gesturing to Kagome and Sango. "And the band wasn't notified because...because...just because!"

The man snorted and gripped his camera. "Fine, just explain it fast, I've got another shooting in about half an hour."

Hikaru turned looked from Sango and Kagome and then to the Wolf's Lair Band.

"The Takahashi company is proud to announce-" she was disrupted by a cameraman this time.

"Cut to the chase Hikaru," he hefted the heavy camera up and down. "We haven't got all day."

"Humph!" she tossed her head proudly into the air. "Okay then, _you_ can explain it!" Instead of taking back his insult, the man simply shook his head firmly and took over.

"The band Wolf's Lair has been chosen as a finalist advancing for production by the Takahashi Record Company **IF**"

There was an unbearably long silence as the each member of the band held their breaths, Hakkaku and Ginta had their mouths parted in disbelief. Just as Kouga was about to throttle the man for holding his silence, he continued.

"Oh, did I say if?" the cameraman asked in a sarcastically goofy voice. "I meant after," This time, Kouga had to be restrained from ripping the man's head off. The cameraman was laughing hysterically at his success at pulling a joke.

"Ha! I mean after photographs have been taken and a video is sent for analyzing purposes."

"What do they need to analyze us for?" Kouga demanded, feeling a nauseas mix of anxiety, excitement and amazement. The cameraman looked at him in astonishment.

"Kid, this is serious business, they need to know if you've got the right look. The kind that will sell." he explained it like it was the obvious. Kouga snorted arrogantly and flashed Kagome a seductive smile. She blushed and turned her head to the side. The reaction caused Hakkaku and Ginta to start snickering and hooting in the background.

"Right then, let's get this show on the road!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Places, everyone!" Sango and Kagome clamped earphones over their ears and awaited instructions by Hikaru. She borrowed a set of earphones and signaled for Sango to start the countdown.

"Okay, in five, four" Sango held up three fingers and continued counting down silently. The record button was hit and the band struck up their hit song, "Maybe."

_Girl in a little white dress  
She catches my eye,  
She wants to be impressed  
Though I wouldn't want to disappoint you  
Chasing rainbows and catching butterflies  
That's just not my thing…_

_:-:-Drum roll-:-:_

_M-A-Y-BE you will come to see  
See that I am all that you will ever need  
Oh yeah, M-A-Y-BE _

After only singing a couple lines, Hikaru abruptly stood up and yelled an ear piercing, "_STOP!_" making Kagome just about jump out of her skin. Any noise made by the _audience_ during the recording process was transmitted and projected through the "director's headset" which was worn by no other than Hikaru. Sango recoiled and swiftly tossed her earphones aside.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sango rubbed her ears in agony.

"Do you want to make it to the semifinals?" Hikaru yelled, ignoring the cries of protest. Kouga, stumped by the question began to stutter mindlessly. "This just won't do! You've _got_ to have some confidence!"

"Okay, take five" she sat back down and smiled encouragingly at Sango. Sango, wide eyed, hesitantly sat back down and put on her set of earphones. Kouga, sweating with trepidation, began to sing. His voice was very appealing, masculine yet not too low. The cameramen tried to capture the band from all different angles and the blinking red lights distracted the wolves—all three of them.

"_CUT!_" Hikaru reacted as if this were a film gone terribly wrong. "I _think_ you know the problem here"

"Actually _woman_," Kouga snarled back crudely. "I don't"

Hikaru gave him the evil eye before snapping for Sango to begin the countdown. This went on for another hour or so before Hikaru finally allowed the angry photographers and cameramen to leave. Her clipboard was filled with all sorts of comments and she shared her optimism with the group before departing.

:-:-:

"That was incredible!" Kagome gushed as the band was packing up. Kouga grinned as he snapped the clasp on his guitar case close. Hakkaku slung his guitar over a shoulder and proceeded backstage, looking relieved.

"Good show, I'll be backstage...see ya later" the guitarist waved a hand to whoever was watching.

"Today was good" Kouga asserted, looking Kagome direction in the eye. "But...will I see you again?" Naturally, this made Kagome embarrassed and she exchanged eye contact with Sango. The brunette smiled faintly.

Ginta still sat behind the drums, drinking from a water bottle. His spiky hair had long begun to swoop and his forehead was glistened with sweat. It _had_ been a very successful session.

"Yeah Kagome" he said, breaking the tension. "Will we ever see you again?" Kagome didn't feel so uneasy anymore and smiled brightly. She nodded in agreement and waved as both boys vanished behind heavy drapes of royal red.

"Wow Kagome!" Sango gushed, clapping her hands together. "I think the lead singer may have a crush on you!" Kagome blanched and rolled her eyes muttering that it really didn't mean anything.

For the next half hour, Kagome busied herself by pacing the room, careful not to trip on hidden wires. She left the recording up to Sango who had to deal with plenty of amateur singers including one who kept on forgetting her lines:

"I want to soar-" the girl sang out of tune. "Awwaaaaay-ay-ay-ay-yeah! Somewhere where the-the" Her voice got quieter each time she was unsure of herself.

"Help please" the tiny girl squeaked.

"Wind will-" Sango hinted, whispering into her communicator. The girl, while she _was_ a bad singer, had a pretty good sense of style. In fact, it was this which kept Sango sane all afternoon long. This amateur singer wore a cute white miniskirt and brown cowboy boots. To top it off, she wore a nice bubble-gum pink halter top.

"Wind will come and-and" she dropped her microphone clumsily and plopped down to pick it up, her long blond braids covering up a freckled face.

"Sweep" Sango coughed, watching the clock in desperation. Next person meant next outfit.

"Sweep me, sweep me, sweep" It took a while but Sango realize that she was again having trouble with her lines. With a small moan, she whispered, "Get me AWAY from here."

"Awwwwaaaayyy!"

Kagome watched as Sango screwed her eyes tightly shut and press her hands against her forehead. They snapped open at the sound of the singer's voice.

"Thanks so much!" the blond girl cried, preparing to leave the stage. Sango's head bolted up as she plastered on another kind smile while waving goodbye.

"No problem, see you later Suki!"

"Kami, leave it to Inuyasha and Miroku to skip a Friday," muttered an angry worker. Sango gritted her teeth. Friday was mix-it-up day at Takahashi's, when a bunch of lucky fans were selected to participate in an on-air solo contest. The winner received a cash prize. Sango vowed to hurt both Miroku and Inuyasha if granted the opportunity since this had _obviously_ been a setup.

"Sango come here!" Kagome called from somewhere in the darkness. Sango flipped the light switch on her control pad and found Kagome standing in front of a wooden door located in the back of the room. It was very mundane but appeared to have had a new lock installed.

"I bet our keys can open this door" Kagome suggested, swiping out Inuyasha's key from nowhere. Sango, who had already been holding her key, jammed it into the keyhole only to wedge it out afterwards.

"Mine doesn't work" she stepped back and grabbed Kagome's arm, holding the anxious girl back. "Just _why_ are we opening this door?"

Kagome gulped and tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. To be honest, she was just curious but that usually didn't cut it for Sango. Before Kagome could speak, the sound of the telephone sent her restraint rushing to the main desk.

"Hello?" Sango cradled the phone to her ear.

Whatever the speaker on the other end had said, made Sango turn a brilliant pink. She apologized and hung up looking mortified. Without a word, Sango hurried out the door.

"Hey, wait! Sango! What's wrong?" Kagome asked, trotting after her friend. But it was too late; Sango had sped into an elevator and was gone. Kagome debated whether or not to go after her and eventually concluded that no, Sango looked more flabbergasted than she did sad. That was usually a sign that she wanted space. With a sneaky grin, Kagome snuck back to her initial position beside the wooden door and inserted Inuyasha's key into the lock. It opened with a click and out tumbled...

Wait, what was this?

Before she knew it, Kagome was bombarded with everything from hockey pucks to snow shoes. A hand held radio, old calendars, a lamp, a sword case, pieces of board, a doorknob, stuffed animals, old video games, blankets, pillows, a rubber ducky, a baseball bat, a flat tire followed by a tricycle, and it all kept flooding out!

**A/N: **Made some minor changes…for instances, the song!


	8. Getting Settled

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Enjoy.

Chapter 8  
Getting Settled

Once lush, green, and pampered by the school gardener, the practice field laid in ruins after an hour and a half of excessive rough play. The twenty-four members were scattered about haphazardly, some standing up, others choosing to remain down. They adorned the dying field with the bright red and white color of their uniforms. Standing amongst a group of exhausted players, Inuyasha tossed his head back and took a long swig from his water bottle. Beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead, making their way to the dampened regions of his chest.

"That was hell," he wheezed, grasping at the annoying piece of cloth that clung to his torso.

"You're telling me," Miroku muttered, cupping his sweaty forehead. Lying on his back, Miroku rested his head on an overly beaten soccer ball and closed a pair of blue eyes. The summer sun perched lazily in the sky and brought with it scorching heat.

"Thank gods it's Friday," Hitan broke in. He caressed a sore arm and stretched his legs out. They had remained crossed for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Tattered and dirty, his three-striped socks hung limp and frayed near the kneecaps. Hiten, a demon with fierce red eyes and boyishly good looks sat alongside his brother Manten who stroked his hairless head affectionately.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and grinned, he wore a distant look as the corners of his lips were curled in a most unusual smile.

"…Yeah,"

Miroku cocked one eye open and looked at Inuyasha quizzically. The hanyo had refused to sit down, give in to the pain. Instead, his method of relaxation was to lean against the fence lining the soccer field. After practice, a small portion of the team chose to trail the captain.

"Inuyasha," Miroku addressed the hanyo sharply. "You _do_ intend on picking up the ladies, correct?"

Folding his arms, Inuyasha grumpily mumbled, "What ladies?"

"What ladies?" Hiten and Manten chanted in unison.

Hoisting himself up, Miroku brushed the dirt off his shorts while frowning at the massive accumulation of mud on his cleats.

"It's only proper," the grimacing boy stated, lackadaisically picking at the clump of brown.

From across the field, the coaches were roaring, "Hustle! Hustle! Let's go!"

The shrill sounds of the whistle that followed had each player scampering off to the showers. Hiten stood, his delicately long braid whipped from side to side. Helping his brother up, the two trotted off.

"You'll have to tell us about them next time!" Hiten called back. Laughing a little, he jogged ahead of his brother. Manten was confused and slowed to a halt. He held two soccer balls, one in each hand.

"Wait up! HEY! You jerk! You left your ball behind!"

:-:-:

Pulling a long sleeve red shirt over his silver tendrils, Inuyasha struggled to get his head through the collar. Once through, clawed hands went immediately to the annoying tag, cargo pants sank as he raised his arms. His scowl was a complete contrast to the charming smile Miroku sported. Dressed in a handsome dark blue jacket, the monk looked rather dashing. His rumpled hair now tied back into a miniature ponytail, Miroku flashed his trademark playboy grin…and his lustful reflection smiled back.

"Snap out of it bouzou," Inuyasha ordered scowling at this friend's rather pompous act. He grabbed his duffle bag and stalked out in a huff.

Miroku tisked and shook his head gravely. "With that attitude my friend…" he left the last part unsaid.

:-:-:

Back at Takahashi Headquarters: somewhere on the fifth floor in room 118…

Sitting on her haunches, Kagome happily flipped through 'The Lost Puppy', one of the various children's books she had discovered in the discrete closet. Surrounded by a circle of items, she felt perfectly content.

"Mm, now here's a good part…" Kagome mumbled quietly. She let out a deep sigh and continued to leaf through the worn cardboard pages.

Just then, Sango rushed in, looking around frantically for any sign of her snooping friend. Letting out a frustrated sigh at the mess Kagome had created, Sango wanted to pull her hair out. She could never leave Kagome alone for more than 10 minutes without there being some sort of trouble.

"What are you doing?" Sango hissed. "I am in the middle of crisis here!"

Kagome flinched and dropped her book.

"Sango-chan! What's going on?"

Sango let her head drop, meek and tired from having vented off some steam. "My car was-was um…towed."

With an irritated scoff, Sango ran a hand through her disheveled hair. Her face was rosy and it looked as if she had chosen to take the stairs again. Sango bit her lower lip and frowned, waiting for some sort of reaction.

"So how-" Kagome paused, keeping her waning anxiety in check, "How're we getting to the festival?"

Sango continued to gaze longingly at the floor, picturing herself at the festival eating grilled miso chicken and totally pigging out on a plate of takoyaki. Her stomach growled restlessly.

"Earth to Sango," Kagome chanted, waving a hand before stupefied brown eyes.

Sango gently swatted at Kagome's hand to get it to stop fluttering. She collected and composed herself after previously having an out of body experience. Now, she must set her mind on reaching the festival before all the grub disappeared.

"Ne, Sango," Kagome questioned curiously, "Why did your car get towed?"

Discomfited and distressed, Sango didn't respond right away. "It's-I don't know,"

She wasn't about to let her best friend find out that they'd both overlooked a huge freaking warning sign that read: **RESERVED! All drivers without permit will be towed immediately. **

That would be a bit mortifying…

"Guess I'll call a taxi," Sango declared cheerfully. Laughing nervously, she dialed the local taxi company.

"Meanwhile, get that mess cleaned up," Sango chewed out, glancing at the pool of littered items. How exactly had this happened? The room had once looked orderly. Now, intermingled with all the black cords, were…marbles?

Looking to were Sango watched fixedly, Kagome tensed and scurried off to gather the pearl-like trinkets.

"I was wondering where those had gotten to,"

Sango rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the phone. "Hello? Yes, I'd like a tax-"

"WHAT THE FU-?"

Marbles spilled, pelting the floor as if a cloudburst had just erupted. The noise droned out his last word. The phone dropped with a clatter, but it was Kagome who had spotted the intruder first.

"Inuyasha don't _do_ that!" she reprimanded, feeling her heart slam feverishly against her ribcage. Looking at the dog boy through disbelieving eyes, Kagome struggled to catch her breath.

Sango felt the raised hairs on her neck slowly recede.

Inuyasha merely rephrased his question and kept reminding himself that homicide was a _very_ bad thing. "What the _hell_ did you do?"

"Oh, don't you _dare_ blame this all on me!" Sango retorted, a week of sleep deprivation setting in. She matched his glare with equal animosity whilst Kagome sat helplessly on the floor, shoulders slack. It had been a long day and was proving to become an even longer night. .

"Cut it out you two," Kagome pleaded. She pushed herself off the floor and forced a smile. Her happiness was met with chilling fierceness from her companions, both of whom shortly realized she was to the one blame.

"What?" blinking innocently, Kagome almost wished the two would start bickering again. Unfortunately, they were both too busy staring her down.

Laughing nervously, Kagome tried to change the subject. "Hey, where's Miroku?"

"Eh? Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, snapping out of his reverie. "He couldn't come. Said there was something he needed to take care of."

"Speaking of which, we better get going" Inuyasha realized, looking up at the clock on the wall.

"You mean you'll give us a lift?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Keh, whatever," Inuyasha approved acquiescently. He turned around took a couple steps towards the door.

"What about—" not having the chance to finish her sentence, Kagome was dragged away by Sango who wasn't in the mood to disclose past events.

:-:-:

Firing up the ignition, Inuyasha glanced sideways at the passenger's seat in which a fidgety Kagome sat. She toyed with the hem of her skirt, adjusted the passenger's mirror, ran a hand up and down the seat belt, she did _anything_ but stay at rest. It was as if her batteries never ran out and frankly, it drove Inuyasha mad.

"Damn it wench, will you stop moving around so much?"

"I can't help it!" Kagome protested, drumming her feet against the vehicle's plastic mat. "I'm excited."

"Keh" Inuyasha pretended to scoot as far left as his seat would allow. In the meantime, Sango sat with her hands propped neatly atop her lap. She had peered at her watch to check the time, only to return her stare back to the world that lay on the other side of the glass.

"Ne, Inuyasha," Kagome had caught his attention and his amber orbs flickered to the side. "Do you know someone named Kouga?"

Grinding his teeth secretly, Inuyasha had gripped the steering wheel so hard that his fingers had left indentations. Nonetheless, he continued to drive. "What about him?"

"Nothing," Kagome hurriedly explained how Wolf's Lair had been chosen as a finalist, and how the band had been assailed by flashing cameras, how Kouga had sang such a great song, and how—

Essentially, she babbled on and on. Inuyasha growled; partly because the more she talked, the more he was reminded of Kouga, and partly because the girl sitting besides him seemed to glow a brilliant pink when jabbering about the band that the stupid wolf.

"Just be quiet. You talk too much."

Kagome had remained silent thereafter.

:-:-:

As it turns out, Inuyasha was a pretty decent driver; the group had arrived with only minor bruises and scratches.

"Did you _have_ to run that red light?" Sango asked pensively. She fumbled to stabilize herself, suffering from an unrelenting case of dizziness. Any moment now, and she would hurl.

Ignoring her comment, which he took as an insult to his tremendous driving skills, Inuyasha 'keh'ed and tucked his car keys away. They'd reached their destination in a record breaking six minutes, thanks to all those red-light violations. Inuyasha was never happier. Kagome, on the other hand, had yet to exit the car. She'd twisted the seatbelt until her knuckles had turned white. The experience would have been exhilarating for one who craved an early death.

"I think you're going to have to carry her," Sango suggested slyly. Her comment had the desired effect as Kagome lunged out of the car immediately. At the same time, Inuyasha wrinkled his nose and snapped, "Hell no."

Brushing herself off, Kagome squared her shoulders and walked stiffly away while attempting to keep what little dignity she had left. Actually admitting how much his rebuttal had hurt was the last thing she wanted to do.

:-:-:

Like mini, colorful accordions, hundreds of paper lanterns were strung underneath the dozens of maple leaves that decorated the sacred school gardens. Only once a year was this area opened for enjoyment, and that was during the Fall Festival. Fluttering in the wind, the round paper lanterns would emit a soft light when darkness fell. As of now, they served only as ornaments with their pretty cherry blossom print.

There were tables with refreshments, trays laden everything from sweet cakes to fried rice. And not far from the food was the entertainment: a string of booths and tents. People continued to flock into the spacious gardens, the festival had long begun. It didn't take long before Kagome spotted her little brother Souta at one of the game stands. He tossed a balloon at a moving target, missed, and then paid the amused teenager who was working the booth for some additional balloons. Behind the counter, there was a wooden shelf piled high with large stuffed animals.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Kagome tapped her little brother on the shoulder, who, in alarm, threw the balloon smack at the bull's eye. Beside him stood a girl no older than eight, her wavy brown hair bounced as she squealed with happiness.

"Alright Souta-kun, you got it!" she clapped her hands merrily.

"T-thanks Hitomi-chan" Souta turned red with contented embarrassment.

"Onee-chan," he smiled awkwardly at Kagome. "This is Hitomi-chan, my" he gulped and tried again. "M-my g-girr-"

"Girlfriend," Kagome finished for him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Souta's sister Kagome."

She extended a hand to Hitomi, who had both her arms tightly wound around Souta's right arm. Releasing one arm, she shook Kagome's hand gladly and smiled cutely. The two of them made a very adorable couple. Hitomi was bubbly and seemed to get excited over everything. Souta was more quiet and patient.

"Very persistant kid," the teenager behind the stand commented, exchanging smiles with Kagome. "Now you get to choose your prize."

Souta looked unsure and glanced at Hitomi for help. "Which one do you want?"

"Souta-kun, I think you should get to keep it."

"No, because I did it all for you, Hitomi-chan,"

How sugary and sentimental was this going to get? Kagome was torn between sticking around to find out or leaving and giving the kids a chance to talk it out themselves. Eventually, it was the latter that won out and had her calling a final goodbye.

:-:-:

"Hmm hum, nine children—I'm sure of it"

"Miroku, there's no way," a feminine voice cooed. "Who's the husband?"

Miroku held the hand of a damsel in distress and let his thumb rub circles on her exposed palm. At the start of the festival, he had rushed to his booth, one which had been secretly set up _without_ the school's permission. Fortune Telling offered the perfect opportunity to come into physical contact with a woman without getting slapped since touching was a part of the procedure.

"Hum," his mischievous blue eyes twinkled. "Some guy named-"

"Miroku!" a harsh voice cut in. Startled, both Miroku and the girl turned to see Inuyasha, and not far off behind him was Sango, looking on disgustedly.

By scaring the hell out of Miroku, not to mention hinder his success at finding another girlfriend, Inuyasha had considered his part done. He turned to look at Sango, urging her to continue speaking.

"Have you seen Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

"Kagome?" Miroku scratched his head thoughtfully.

"She hasn't stopped here if that's what you mean…"

"Try the food courts," Miroku's female companion piped up. Thanking her for the suggestion, Sango hurried off, followed by Inuyasha whose mouth watered at the thought of anything edible…maybe they would have ramen!

:-:-:

Kagome was indeed at the food court. She sat alone at an umbrella table, one of several dozen structures that gave its surroundings a more café-like appearance. Each table had its own miniature vase which held an assortment of flowers. At the moment, Kagome had her hands full trying to chow down on a bowl of oden.

"Umm!" she all but squealed. Swallowing quickly, Kagome beamed cheerfully at the two figures looming in front of her.

"We were so worried!" Sango cried, embracing Kagome in a tight squeeze. Caught by surprise, Kagome had to force herself not to cough up any food. Looking up sympathetically at Inuyasha, whom she was no longer troubled by, Kagome motioned him to have a seat.

"No way," he shook his head and immediately, her jubilation was turned down a notch. Inuyasha grinned and added, "You want me to starve or what?" Understanding his implication, Kagome smiled shyly. Something about that smile and he'd felt it; a light tug at his heartstrings. Though at the moment, Inuyasha was famished and didn't give a damn. He sauntered off in that familiar pose; hands tucked inside the pockets of his trousers.

"At least one of us is happy" Sango observed quietly. Her slightly bitter tone prompted Kagome to ask what was wrong. The miserable schoolgirl, whose dark brown tresses lay in ruins, had her elbows propped up on the table. Her head rested on the heels of her palms.

"That stupid pervert, I'll never talk to him again!" Sango fumed, fisting her hands into stiff balls.

"What did he do this time?" Kagome asked, assuming the worst. Sango rolled her eyes. Dear gods, she didn't even feel hungry anymore. And wasn't that the reason why she had been so eager to come to the festival in the first place? Amazing how a boy can make you feel so stumped sometimes. Not to mention turn your life upside down.

"Oh you wouldn't believe it," Sango muttered, covering her face with her hands. "I don't even understand how he got permission to…" she trailed off. Her head pulled back suddenly as she tried to piece it all together. "Unless…, unless he did it without!"

"Do what? What did he do?" Sango had sparked the younger girl's curiosity. Kagome practically bounced in her chair. Without answering her question, Sango's head slammed back into its protective shield.

Kagome reached out to pat the older girl's back, whispering a soothing "It's okay."

Sango sounded more frustrated than sad when she replied, "I am not crying!"

"Crying over what?" a masculine voice interjected. Sango froze in her spot. She felt her cheeks blush a hot pink, warming her curled fingers. If she looked up now, her life would be over.

"Miroku! What a surprise,"

**A/N: **It's Miroku! Our favorite perverted monk!


	9. Something on my Face

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Wow, I am totally flattered by the reviews. You guys rock!

Chapter 9  
Something on my Face

Inuyasha discovered once laying eyes on the plethora of warm dishes being served, that life was brimming with difficult choices. Which should he consume first? His two plates could only hold so much. And if he didn't choose one thing, would it still be there when he was ready for round two? He found himself longing for an extra set of hands.

Sighing grumpily, Inuyasha settled for several spring rolls, fried dumplings, tempura, sushi, and a golden mountain of steamed rice. In addition, a bowl of miso soup was strategically lodged in between the two plates.

It was not until he heard the sly, near seductive voice of a female that his attention faltered. Stationed besides him, too close for comfort, was Yura. She had her hands on her hips and was dressed in a very skimpy spaghetti strap sundress. The violet eyed teen seemed to lean in once catching his interest.

Had it been anyone but the conniving little wretch, Inuyasha might've been less harsh. He recoiled and impulsively snarled, "Wadda ya want bitch?"

"Is that any way to address a lady?" Yura asked sarcastically. She snaked a hand around the lower regions of his back and used her demonic strength to pull him a little closer. Inuyasha was reluctant to set his food down but managed to forcefully pull away.

"Why the fuck are you so touchy?"

Realizing that sweet-talk wasn't getting anywhere, Yura stopped her teasing and (gasp!) behaved more seriously. Inuyasha watched her distrustfully and much to his relief, she crossed her arms.

Often times, they could get just as degrading as Miroku's wandering hands…

"Oh Inu-koi" Yura sighed wistfully. "What _am_ I going to do with you?"

"You can leave me the hell alone," he answered irritably, then glanced down at his disarrayed plate. The food had been swished around and made a pretty patchwork of colors. Suppressing his ire, Inuyasha turned to leave, but not before adding, "And stop with the 'Inu-koi' shit."

"Don't tell me you've fallen for that human girl!" Yura charged, quietly reveling in her success at stopping dog boy in his tracks. She hadn't expected him to let out a contemptuous huff and not reply. Yura was slightly taken aback by his nonchalance. Surely Kagome had gotten a little farther than this? With a firm shake in the affirmative, Yura decided that her two inexperienced _'friends'_ would need a shove in the right direction. After all, the only way for the two schoolgirls to actually embarrass themselves was through the process of genuine courtship—Yura style!

:-:-:

Sango tensed when she felt a hand—much too big to be Kagome's—rest on her left shoulder. It was warm, and knew exactly how to caress—!

Quicker than lightening, she had sent the heated fingertips packing. Miroku chuckled while rubbing his reddened knuckles and sat down beside Sango. He leaned back casually in the fold-up chair and let the fickle breezes play around with his hair. Since it was a little past six in the afternoon, the sun had begun to set leaving a hazy sheen of reds, oranges, and yellows. The monk gazed lazily at the girl whose cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

Miroku turned to Kagome and spoke affably, "So they found you at last, Kagome-chan,"

"H-hai!" Kagome answered, unable to keep the shakiness out of her voice. Miroku let out a soft laugh, making Sango shiver involuntarily. She secretly hated how deep an effect he had on women. Ever since the day they'd met, Sango couldn't help but loathe him. He was such a player and made the average female look pitiful as she fawned over him.

"That's good to know," Miroku continued. "I was getting a little worried back there"

Sango refrained from snorting, but replied, "You could've fooled me."

Kagome grimaced at Sango's cold civility but refrained from saying anything that could further upset the angry upper classman. Miroku simply nodded and pushed back his chair. Offering his hand to Sango, Miroku suggested that the two of them grab a bite to eat. Holding her chin up, Sango stood without his assistance and started off. Miroku, before hurrying after, gave Kagome a baffled look, as if to say, '_what's with her?'_

Kagome propped her elbows on the table and sighed.

"Oi, Kagome," Inuyasha greeted, placing his tray on the table. Her chocolate brown eyes met his amber and she smiled placidly.

"Your back," she said, sounding amazed.

Inuyasha frowned and scooted his chair, which was positioned next to hers, closer to the table. "Yeah, so?"

Kagome was at a loss of words and settled for looking down at her food instead. Her half finished bowl of oden stared back, cold and dejected. She picked up her chopsticks and tried to finish off what her stomach could handle. Inuyasha chomped down his food like a starving hyena. He held his soup bowl high above his head and gulped it all down avariciously. Of course, this wasn't to say that his eating habits were bad. On the contrary, they were that of a fully grown boy in a state of starvation. Very cute.

"Where's Sango?" Inuyasha asked, wiping his mouth clean. He'd finished off nearly all of what his plate had to offer. "She was here a moment ago wasn't she?"

"Oh!" Kagome had been busily watching him eat for the last minute or so and felt her cheeks color at finally being caught.

"They went into the line" Kagome replied. "Sango and Miroku." she added as an afterthought.

"That idiot probably got caught," Inuyasha sneered, polishing off a spring roll.

"Caught doing what?" Kagome asked, hoping to be informed.

"He set up a booth for ladies interested in having their fortunes read." Inuyasha explained, chewing his food thoughtfully.

"And what will that accomplish?" Kagome asked dryly. She saw where this was headed.

"Girls flock into his little teepee and Miroku has over a dozen different female companions by the end of today," Kagome wasn't satisfied and, for the sake of her friend Sango, maintained her pestering.

"Why is he so girl crazy?" Kagome demanded, looking Inuyasha fiercely in the eye.

He shrugged and swallowed a mouthful of rice. "Guess he's always been looking for the right one." To this, Kagome was shocked. Miroku was looking for the right one? He seemed more like the kind of guy that would settle for a one-night stand. Perhaps they had been a little too prejudiced towards the outwardly perverted monk. Kagome's countenance softened at the arrival of Miroku and Sango.

"Heh, violate any of the underclassmen, Miroku?" the conceited hanyo joked. He was referring to the young schoolgirls that served as "Lunch Ladies" for the night. Miroku grinned sheepishly, his hand-printed face bright. Sango glowered.

"Keh," Inuyasha looked pitifully at his friend. He must have tried hitting on Sango again…

Kagome shot Sango a sidelong glance; the other girl let her dish drop with a clatter as she sustained a glare at the striking visage of her current nemesis. He beamed at her, and then began eating his meal as if the past events had never occurred…

_Sango couldn't help but feel a little flattered at having Miroku, a polite, attractive young man walk beside her. Even though he was by every means still a pervert, he was also very considerate. Or so she thought before encountering a petit brunette, for whom Miroku had connections. _

"_Miroku!" she exclaimed, practically throwing herself at him. Miroku was very much pleased and was in the process of introducing this brown eyed beauty when another acquaintance happened to walk by. _

"_Is that you Miroku?" this time, it was a skinny blue eyed girl with lavender hair down to her shoulders. Without a bit of hesitation, she too latched on, grasping onto his other shoulder. "I missed you so!" _

_Without a moment to lose, the lavender haired girl called to her party of friends. "Yoo-hoo! It's Miroku everyone!" She then proceeded to bury her head into the folds of his jacket. Her call was answered with much vigor as a stampede of girls rounded the corner, nearly bulldozing Sango in the process. _

'_And a week ago, he said he couldn't find anyone to bear his child!' Sango huffed. She thought about this for a moment. 'NOT that I care' _

"_Sango, how could you leave me?" Miroku whined. _

_Yes, he actually whined. _

_Fifteen minutes had come and gone and Sango found herself rooted next to the annoying, lecherous monk…again. This time, she didn't feel so privileged. He had miraculously escaped the mob and hid behind her like a scared puppy. Sango stifled a giggle. His fingers were curled around her shoulders. _

'_My, doesn't this feel familiar' Sango thought whimsically. _

"_Hide me," Miroku ducked his head behind her back and rested his head against her firm structure. Sango felt her breath catch in her throat. He was toying with her; she knew it the instant the tip of his nose began to glide erratically on her shoulder blades. She felt chills run up and down her spine but didn't stop his ministrations. _

_He touched his lips to her ear and whispered. "Care to join the club?" _

The nerve of that houshi! Sango had given him a thorough pounding after ruining what could've been a very interesting moment. She blushed profusely at having gone haywire because it meant not finishing what he'd started.

"I'll get over it," Sango muttered before cooling off on a glass of ice tea. She had other things to think about, such as how she was ever going to get houshi-sama to herself. Just the thought was wearisome. '_First and foremost'_, Sango thought, '_I have to abolish his little fan club!' _

"How was your stay at Takahashi's?" Miroku asked, generating a growl from Inuyasha. Both girls were silent, each having their fair share of discomfiture. Kagome was the first to speak. "It was…"

"A fun experience," Sango assured him. "The staff was quite friendly, ne Kagome?"

The younger girl nodded in verification, "And the band was fant-" she froze mid-speech.

"Band?" Miroku reiterated. Sango was amused by her friend's dangerous blunder. Kagome looked like a deer caught in headlights as her eyes slowly crept to the face of the boy in red. Inuyasha sulked as all three pair of eyes fixed themselves on his countenance.

"What do I care what she has to say about _Kouga_?" Inuyasha snapped, shattering the silence. Miroku quietly chided the rude hanyo for his discourteous behavior and forced a smile before turning to look at Kagome again. "So you like their music, Kagome-chan?"

For honesty's sake, she nodded pathetically, though her countenance showed that she was feeling pretty miserable at the moment. Standing up with plates and bowls in hand, she excused herself from the table.

Once the brunette was gone, Miroku, unexpectedly rounded on the hanyo, "Go after her Inuyasha."

"_WHAT_!" Inuyasha swore at the absurdity of the monk's request. This had to be one of the stupidest suggestions his _wise_ friend ever made.

"We're not—why do I—ARG! Forget it!" Inuyasha tossed his hands in the air and stalked off after the mind-boggling girl. She evoked so many feelings, anger being predominate. A couple weeks ago, she had been just another annoying girl. Now, she proved to be just as bothersome as he had suspected most girls to be.

"Stupid girl!" Inuyasha seethed. He spotted her a little ways off, casting her plates and bowls into a giant basin of soapy water where most of the dining utensils would be disposed of tonight. Instead of heading back to the table where her best friend awaited, Kagome took a different route.

Sighing crossly, Inuyasha followed and called out, "Yo Kagome!"

She stopped and turned to face him. With a look of resignation on her slightly flushed face, Kagome said hello. She waited for him to be by her side before picking up the pace. He strolled right along.

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry for upsetting you." Kagome let the words pour out quickly before she lost all nerves to speak. Inuyasha, who had come to terms with his anger, merely grunted at her remark. He looked into the darkening skies as hundreds of paper lanterns began to light up. Releasing a sigh, Kagome could only stare in awe.

"It's pretty isn't it?" she whispered absentmindedly.

"Hn." Inuyasha replied. She took it as a sign of agreement. Her traitorous eyes beseeched a quick ogling session and she gave in grudgingly,—to find him looking back, much to her hidden delight. Under the perched moon's light, illuminated by the glow of lanterns, his handsome features were heightened. She wasn't even aware that he was speaking, until he cleared his throat for the second time.

"Eh, Kagome?" her prince charming inquired.

"Hmm?" she was lost in a whirlwind of emotions. She was lost in his eyes.

"You have rice on your face…".

:-:-:

"That was really sweet of you Miroku," Sango admitted. She looked boldly at the teenage boy seated beside her. He smiled in return, a glint of slyness in his eyes which made her feel uneasy.

"Anything to give us some alone time," Miroku kidded, using the _'forbidden'_ voice that so often worked to his advantage. Sango was another matter. She promptly rolled her eyes and flicked a bread crumb in his direction. Too bad for her, it happened to land on his wonderfully sculpted nose.

"Ahh, gomen-nasai!" Sango's hand shot up and, as politely as possible, brushed the tiny crumb off with her fingertips. Never in her life had she felt more alarmed. Miroku laughed at the look on her face. His encounters with Sango proved to be quite eventful, much to her dismay. When his laughter died down, Miroku met her brown inquisitive eyes. They blinked several times before she blushed and looked down at her plate. It was empty save fore several more crumbs…

"Don't worry about it," Miroku was up and pushed his chair in. Sango felt a lump in her throat when she nodded. _Now he'll never want to hang out with me! _

"Come on, let's take a look around," Miroku motioned her to follow and she obeyed with unnatural quickness.

The two walked in silence past game stands, snack bars, and enough "test your strength" cubicles to make Miroku question if they'd been walking in circles all along. Until at last, Sango pointed excitedly at a public theater. About thirty or so wooden chairs were preoccupied by eager viewers, leaving only several more unfilled.

Without thinking, Sango grabbed Miroku's hand and led him to a pair of open seats.

:-:-:

Kagome swiped at her face vigorously until her fingers came into contact with several beads of rice. Inuyasha looked at her with humor gleaming in eyes, which annoyed her to no end.

"Never seen a girl with rice on her face before?" Kagome grounded out heatedly. Inuyasha smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You'd be the first," he cocked his head to the side and smiled, causing Kagome to blush. _'Damn this girl blushes a lot'_ Inuyasha thought, laughing inwardly.

Kagome tried her best to look at the hanyo sternly, only, the concept was deemed impossible after he did that cute motion with his head to the side. Now all she could do to save face was look away and solicit a gust of wind to fan her crimson cheeks.

"Test Your Strength!" It was love at first sight. Inuyasha raced towards the promising game. Kagome hurried after him, relieved at not being the center of attention anymore. Inuyasha dug for his wallet and took out a couple of bills. Paying the game owner, he was given a giant mallet. Wielding the frighteningly huge hammer in both hands, he swung it with an incredible amount of force.

"DING!" with a tremendous amount of velocity, the striker hit the top in a matter of seconds, almost breaking the machine at impact.

"Yatta! You did it!" Kagome jumped up in joy and pumped a fist into the air. Inuyasha cracked a small grin at the girl's childish antics.

"Nice hit," the game owner praised. Being blessed with demon strength himself, he couldn't help but be impressed by the incredible show put on by a half-breed. "So what will it be? Shopping coupons? Movie tickets? Something for your girlfriend?"

Inuyasha looked blankly at the dealer. He hadn't expected anything in return. And he certainly hadn't expected anyone to call Kagome his girlfriend. Deciding to play along, the amber-eyed boy turned to Kagome and grinned.

"Pick something."

Kagome opened her mouth to refuse, but she was too overwhelmed by his sincerity to utter a word. It must've been something he ate. With a shake to clear out the fuzziness in her head, Kagome decided to seize the moment. She pointed to a giant stuffed white puppy with its pink tongue lolling out rather cutely. The muscular arm of the demon picked up and handed the adorable snowy white ball of fur to Inuyasha, who afterward passed it on to Kagome.

"Arigato Inuyasha," Kagome breathed out, cuddling the toy to her face. It smelled richly of the night air and…

_Him_.

:-:-:

Miroku stifled a yawn. This presentation was absolutely boring. It was more along the lines of a documentary than play. Most of the audience had already fallen asleep! Miroku tapped Sango lightly on the arm and motioned the direction of departure with his head. Sango, mistaking his signal as need for a bathroom break, plainly nodded.

For the second time that day, the two held hands. This time, it was the gentleman who initiated the contact. Miroku gently pulled her along, leaving behind the faint snores and bleariness.

"Houshi-sama! I will not escort you to the bathroom!" Sango cried, twisting her hand free. Miroku stopped walking and turned to face her. Chuckling ever so softly, he brought an index finger to his mouth and shushed her.

Realizing that he was probably not taking her anywhere inappropriate, Sango quieted down. When they were out of earshot, Miroku released her hand and began to walk at a more leisurely pace.

"Sorry, it was boring me to tears," Miroku let out a long, overdue yawn and stretched his arms. Peeking at Sango, he saw that she was also yawning and took this splendid opportunity to pat her bottom.

"PERVERTED HOUSHI!" she shrieked. Miroku dashed away, chased by his aggressive maiden. They circled the festival grounds twice before he finally collapsed and awaited his demise. Sango, who hadn't expected Miroku to lie like a heap on the ground, tripped on his body and landed gracelessly on the ground. Together, they clumsily formed a right angle.

:-:-:

Here she was, coddling a huge stuffed animal, making it look as if she and him were an item; a couple. Inuyasha felt awkward walking next to Kagome as she would so often look up at his face and give a sunny smile.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome did the frustrating smile thing again, forcing Inuyasha to avert his gaze elsewhere to seem less conspicuous.

The chime-like sound of keys caused his ears to perk up a bit and Inuyasha looked down at her small hands which held the source of the clinking. Grabbing the two keys, Inuyasha grumbled a thank you.

"Why didn't you want me to open the closet?" Kagome asked, pieces of past warnings coming back to haunt her. Inuyasha grimaced at the reminder that she'd discovered all his stashed goods.

"Why did you open it when I deliberately told you not to?" Inuyasha retorted.

"I was curious," Kagome countered, waiting for an answer to her question. Seeing as how he wasn't satisfied with her hastily produced response, Kagome explained that she hadn't heard a thing he said the day he supposedly warned her not to open the closet.

"You could've asked me to repeat myself," Inuyasha pouted, crossing his arms moodily.

Kagome couldn't help herself. She stood on her tippy toes and patted him on the head, tweaking his ears in the process. This action earned a growl from Inuyasha, but hey, at least now she could consider her week fulfilled!

**A/N: **And so the fluff begins. I know, Miroku/Sango action abruptly stopped. More to come!


	10. Wakeup Call: Date with Inuyasha!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **Umm, please read and review and I'm sure all the romantics out there will be happy. It's summer so the next update shouldn't take as long as this one did. For those who demand an explanation as to why I took so long to update: Prom, boys, and life in general pretty much sums it up. Thanks for all your support! Love ya bunches!

Demon Exterminator Barbie:Let me just take this opportunity to say that S.A.Ts suck. lol. Getting a score of 1230 as a seventh grader is impressive. Good Job. Oh yeah, the essay wasn't so bad...they just don't give you enough time to write a decent composition.

Chapter 10  
Wakeup Call: Date with Inuyasha!

Soccer practice wouldn't start up again until next week…

Inuyasha relished in this fact as he lay face up on his bed, his arms pillowing his head. After stepping into his spacious apartment, the first thing the teen had done was strip down to the bare minimum: a pair of flame red, ramen printed boxers. He had tossed his dirty clothes into the overflowing hamper.

It was rare to find a high school student living all alone, but Inuyasha _was_ a junior. He had wealthy parents that were constantly on the go—traveling all over the world to secure the prosperity of their business. After turning 16, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted and nothing pleased him more than moving out.

Living and battling the so called "real world" didn't seem quite so bad when your only other option was to live in an enormous mansion quip with obsequious servants and an unpleasant older brother; the latter being the worse of the two.

As he drifted off to sleep, Inuyasha felt his stomach rumble and his amber eyes snapped open on reflex.

Deciding not to deny his stomach nutrition, since past efforts proved fruitless, Inuyasha coaxed his tired body out of bed and into the kitchen. Cleaning all the cupboards, he was struck with the shocking realization that…there was no ramen.

"Damn it…" Inuyasha shuffled through his storage once more, unwilling to own up to the fact that he'd forgotten to restock on the prepackaged meals when he'd had the chance.

With a low primitive growl, Inuyasha banged his head against the surface of the refrigerator (no ramen in there either). His stomach _might_ be able to hold until tomorrow morning.

After moping for a couple minutes and snagging a bag of chips off the counter, Inuyasha promptly made his way to the living room where he plopped down on the marshmallow soft sofa. It seemed to swallow his body as he sunk in. One arm reached out for the remote control lying on the nightstand and switched on the T.V.

"-rabbit goes round and round!" A goofy looking man dressed in a rabbit suit pranced around a giant, blindingly green rug. Inuyasha hastily changed the channel, given that his eyes threatened to spontaneously combust.

What greeted him next was no better than the lunatic on the previous channel. It was a late night drama/soap opera titled, "He Loves Me Not" with lots of crying, kissing, and sappy lines. The hanyo made a face and pressed the little black overused button.

"-Noodles, beef, vegetables…savory spices and seasoning!" Drool welled up at the corners of his mouth as Inuyasha watched a commercial on ramen being served at "Tai's Ramen House." The speaker advertised a buy one get one free offer and Inuyasha felt his hand inadvertently dig into his pockets for cash. What he discovered was that his _boxers_ had no pockets.

"Ah, Fuck!"

Kagome snuggled deeper into her bed and sighed contently. The stuffed dog lay by her side, pressed firmly to her chest. Coming home late the night before, Kagome had promised herself a couple extra hours worth of sleep. It was Saturday after all, and she didn't need to worry about homework, projects, or the incessant ringing of the phone.

Wait a minute…phone?

Grabbing her pink alarm clock, Kagome peered lazily at the time. What kind of idiot calls a girl at 5 in the morning on a Saturday? She immediately jumped to conclusions and wondered if it was Sango being robbed. At that thought, Kagome's hand lunged out to pick up the phone only to stop milliseconds later.

What if it was a prank call? There was no denying the fact that some kids were unusually cruel. However, being the optimist that she was, Kagome doubted that anyone would call at 5 a.m. without sensible means.

Finally, after the fourth or fifth ring, it was decided that if she didn't answer, it would wake the entire family. Case closed; Kagome picked up.

"Hello?"

"Took you long enough!" A gruff voice on the other end startled her awake and it sounded vaguely familiar. Kagome tried to pin the voice on a face, which was a near impossible task at such an early time of day. When it dawned upon her whom the speaker on the other end was Kagome interrupted his tirade.

"Inuyasha!"

"What?" he protested with equal volume. "You didn't have to scream girl!"

Kagome lowered her voice but stubbornly rebuffed, "I am _not_ screaming, you baka!"

"Keh, whatever," he waved the insult aside. "I'm hungry so meet me at Tai's Ramen House at five thirty."

"NANI!" She clutched the phone to her ears to check if she'd heard him right. Was it just her or did Inuyasha just growl on the other end? Forget that! Did he just ask her to meet him somewhere in half an hour?

"I haven't had ramen in over 6 hours," he made it sound like capital punishment. "I'm hungry and flat broke after paying rent so..." Kagome felt her jaw drop. Why call her if he was broke and needed a free meal? Why not his other friends? Kagome felt overwhelmed with confusion.

Up until his reminder, "You owe me ramen after that bet and it's time to pay up."

And with that, Inuyasha hung up. She heard a click but was too shocked to put down her phone. Instead, it was positioned on her jaw, underneath her parted mouth. She had scored a date with Inuyasha Takashi at 5:30 A.M. in the morning at Tai's Ramen House. It was a girl's dream come true.

Kagome collapsed back onto her bed and laughed hysterically.

Inuyasha dug through his wardrobe and arbitrarily selected a pair of pants and shirt. What he ended up with was a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Throwing on a jacket to complete the ensemble, he frantically searched for his car keys and shot out the door like a bullet.

Kagome refused to be rushed. She brushed her teeth accordingly, washed her face, and brushed her hair. Rummaging through her neat closet, she pulled out a faded orange sundress. It was garnished around the waist by a pretty white ribbon. Tying a matching orange and white ribbon to her hair, Kagome studied herself once more in the mirror before grabbing a scarf and throwing it over her shoulders. She picked up her purse and padded downstairs.

The brunette scratched a terse note on a piece of paper which she left on the dining table, then, slipping into a pair of opened toed sandals, she silently made her way outdoors.

As Kagome ran down the steps of the shrine, and as Inuyasha got into his car, they both stopped and mentally slapped themselves on the head. Kagome realized that she had the least idea where Tai's Ramen House was, not to mention she couldn't drive. Inuyasha had made this same observation as he got ready to pull out of the driveway and knowing Kagome, he was pretty sure she would wait for him to come pick her up.

:-:Fifteen Minutes Later:-:

Inuyasha spotted a girl seated on the very last step of a stone staircase. He had remembered someone once mentioning that Kagome Higurashi lived in a shrine and this happened to be the only shrine within the school district. Thank goodness! As he drew nearer, Kagome stood up and the wind played all sorts of tricks to embellish her appearance. Her hair danced, dress fluttered, and she clutched her purse which threatened to blow away.

Inuyasha parked and waited as Kagome approached. She took slow strides on her high heeled sandals and let herself in.

"Took you long enough," Inuyasha remarked teasingly. Kagome blushed and buckled in. The hanyo grinned and drove off towards the restaurant that had conquered his dreams. It wasn't long before Kagome's curiosity got the upper hand.

"How did you…" she left the last part unsaid.

"I remember someone mentioning that you lived in a shrine," Inuyasha answered. His eyes failed to stray from the road and a soft 'ah' escaped her lips unnoticed.

_Doesn't **this** feel familiar? _Kagome thought, bitterly referring to the hushed silence that had befallen. At the way things were going between her and Inuyasha, the normally exuberant girl found herself once again questioning the chances of the hanyo falling in love with her, let alone, liking her.

"Ano, Inuyasha?" big brown eyes met gold for a split second. The brown eyes remained fixed what was now the side of Inuyasha's face. His long silver locks streamed downwards like tiny rivers diverging and Kagome followed their path, overcome by apprehension.

"So. So you really want me to treat you to _ten_ bowls of ramen?"

Inuyasha snorted softly, "Hell yeah." "And you owe me fifteen, not ten" he added.

"Mm," Kagome squeezed her heavy purse for what could possibly be the last time. It was yet another failed attempt—this time, at saving money.

Tai's Ramen House was a respectable restaurant surrounded by others like it. Tai's was more appealing to Inuyasha because it sold ramen and ramen only. Whether it was creamy chicken, spicy shrimp, beef, or pork, Tai's had it all! The reasonably sized building had several curtained windows lining the _outside_ for passerbyers to take a peak _inside_. Since it was a little past five thirty, the shop had already opened for customers.

"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha coaxed her gently as he made his way into the restaurant. Kagome followed and was so surprised that he opened the doors for her that she looked around to see if anyone else had seen.

"Keh, I _have_ manners ya know," dog boy countered once meeting her gaze. She merely grinned, and he returned the smile with a friendly smirk.

Toying with the idea in his head, Inuyasha settled to prove that he indeed had manners. It was simply a product of boredom, or so he convinced himself. For this reason, he led her to a table for two and pulled out a chair for her. His ears picked up an almost inaudible gasp, but before she could respond with a thank you, the waiter appeared.

"What can I get you?" he asked politely. Inuyasha chuckled almost evilly as he scanned the menu. His companion couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Hope you brought alotta of money," Inuyasha said with a smirk. Kagome faked a hefty groan, earning a smile from the dog demon. She felt herself relax and smile too. This early breakfast gave her the opportunity to woo the silver haired boy…and gosh, did that sound strangely worded!

Kagome busied herself with staring at Inuyasha as he ordered. She couldn't blame all the girls at school for talking about him all the time because the guy was a god. Everything about him screamed HOT. His clothes always matched, but she doubted Inuyasha cared a rat's ass what he wore. His hair was messy but that only helped to emphasize his highly appealing 'bad boy' demeanor. His eyes, kami his eyes…they were staring right back at her. Kagome 'eeped'.

Inuyasha watched her curiously. "Aren't you gonna order anything?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Kagome picked up her menu and fumbled to turn it right side up. Inuyasha tried to muffle a laugh and was thrown a dirty glare. Once Kagome had ordered, she settled back into the padded seat. It was with fierce determination that the brunette resolved to starting a conversation.

"How's soccer practice?" Kagome pushed back a lock of dark hair that had escaped from the ribbon. Inuyasha watched the negligible action with interest, finding it oddly cute how she flushed pink under his gaze.

"'Sokay I guess," Inuyasha rubbed at the back of his neck. "It's tiring and sure as hell bothersome…but all pays off when we kick some ass at the Championship tournament."

Encouraged by her earnest expression, Inuyasha added as an afterthought, "You should come to practice sometime." Kagome's eyes widened considerably and she fought down an oncoming blush.

"That would be great, I-" of course, all good moments come to an end, and Kagome was once again interrupted by the waiter that returned carting their food. Inuyasha brightened and dug in the instant a bowl was set before him. Kagome enjoyed her meal, and the date which she had believed she would come to dread.

Three bowls of oden and nine bowls of ramen later, Kagome felt as if her stomach would bust. Inuyasha was still stuffing his face silly, which made the schoolgirl absentmindedly wonder if he was starved as a child.

"Inuyasha, don't you ever get full?" Kagome asked, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Inuyasha practically had his face _in_ the bowl and answered her with a 'hah!' noise.

Kagome laughed, "You live off ramen, ne?" She hadn't expected him to respond in the positive, but he had, so she probed further.

"That's all your family eats? Ramen?" she asked incredulously.

"I live alone," he slurped the noodles up and looked at her reassuringly. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

Somehow, that didn't comfort her.

"Moved out when I was sixteen," he continued. "I couldn't stand my older brother."

"What about your parents?" Kagome edged closer to the table and rested her chin on the palms of her hands.

"I see them once or twice a year since they're always so busy," Inuyasha willed himself to take another bite but couldn't. "Elevens my limit" he burped and slumped back onto the chair. Kagome glanced at the remaining four bowls and giggled.

"Looks like the great Inuyasha Takashi couldn't finish all his ramen," Kagome taunted jokingly.

"Keh! I could if I were hungry enough!" Inuyasha contradicted. His stomach thought otherwise.

"Well I would help you out, but I'm too full," Kagome said thoughtfully.

"Full? After eating a measly _three_ bowls?" Inuyasha patted his stomach. "Pathetic!" he grunted arrogantly. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled lightly. She felt herself beam inwardly at successfully getting the hanyo to laugh.

"Here's your bill miss," the young waiter had returned and handed her a piece of paper. Kagome gawked at the numbers printed next to total. Their meals combined had rung up a heavy sum of 3,350 yen plus tax. Inner Kagome wept miserably.

:-:Walking the streets of Japan:-:

"We need to fix your diet buster," Kagome had her eyes narrowed dangerously. Inuyasha laughed nervously. "My diet? Why?"

The way the two of them walked side by side, could've mistaken them as a couple. Kagome stopped and tugged at his jacket so that he was facing her.

"You said that you lived on ramen!" Kagome remonstrated. "I'm picturing an apartment filled with ramen!"

Inuyasha didn't pull back but instead leaned in closer, "Then you're picturing wrong." Kagome let out a sigh of relief. But it was short lived once she realized how close they'd become.

"I'm fresh out," Inuyasha grumbled. "I'll have to go…_shopping._" He said the last word like it was some sort of repulsive mold and this time pulled away. Kagome released his jacket as an idea formed in her head. Astoundingly, she still had some money leftover…

:-:Hatake's Shopping Center:-:

"This…and this…oh, and this," Kagome bulldozed down the isle and dropped various items into an overloaded shopping basket. Inuyasha felt weighted down considerably but each time he tried to protest, she would move farther and farther away.

"Man Kagome!" Inuyasha panted. "Wait up!" She had bought fruits, vegetables, grains—the whole food pyramid along with a myriad of other products. They had had to return to the front of the store to pick up another basket, which she filled up just as quickly as the first. Thank kami this was a high quality, low price store or _she _would have been screwed; Kagome had offered to pay since the hanyo had no money on hand.

"Mm, I think we're done!" she paused to wipe the sweat from her brow.

"I don't think so girl," Inuyasha inspected the items on either basket. "You forgot ramen."

"Packaged ramen isn't healthy for you," Kagome pointed out sternly. "And besides, I'm the one buying, remember?" Inuyasha griped quietly and followed the cheerful girl to the checkout counter.

Once the monetary aspects were dealt with, Inuyasha grudgingly followed Kagome to his car. He looked longingly at "Tai's Ramen House" and vaguely wondered if his four bowls of ramen were set aside and whether or not he could finish them now.

Sensing his desire, Kagome quickened her pace and he in turn sped up too.

When they reached his car, Inuyasha placed the brown paper bags into the trunk and unlocked the doors. "You want me to take you home now?"

Something inside told her to just say no, to see how he would react. Kagome shook her head to clear herself of those foolish thoughts and by doing so gave off the impression that she didn't want to be taken home.

"Ok then," Inuyasha shrugged. "You can come help me put all this shit away."

"Huh?" She blinked in befuddlement.

Inuyasha conked her on the head jestingly. "I said you can come to my apartment and help me sort all this stuff out." "If you want…" he slammed the trunk close and stuffed his hands into his pockets, waiting for a reply.

"What will it be?"

Kagome cursed silently for taking so long to make such an easy decision. "O-of course!"

:-:Inuyasha's Humble Abode:-:

Kagome never dreamed that she would ever enter the home of Inuyasha Takashi and find it neater than her own. Paintings adorned the walls and rugs covered a portion of the sparkling marble floor. She followed him to the island kitchen where the real mess awaited.

"Doncha think it's about time to wash the dishes?" Kagome instinctively rushed to the sink and began cleaning. As a big sister, it was a responsibility that she'd become accustomed to. Inuyasha shrugged and began loading food into the fridge.

When she was done with the dishes, Kagome joined Inuyasha and stacked cans into their designated shelves. They finished in record time and neither objected to calling it a day and loafing around on the couch.

"My arms never felt so sore," Inuyasha mumbled, taking up the whole sofa with his body. Kagome sat on an armchair and caught his attention by pushing her hair behind her ears. He seemed intrigued each time she performed that simple action.

"Give me a minute and I'll take ya home," Inuyasha closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. Kagome nodded and picked up her purse from the coffee table. Pushing himself up, Inuyasha trudged to the door and opened it for her on impulse. Kagome muttered a soft thank you and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She became conscious of the fact that she was running on a little less than six hours of sleep and yawned.

:-:Back at the Shrine:-:

Kagome stepped out on wobbly legs and turned to face Inuyasha. He looked equally tired but forced a small grin. Kagome sheepishly returned his smile and tried to think of something relevant to say. Lucky for her, Inuyasha spoke first.

"I never…got a chance to thank you," Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head pensively. "I had alotta fun."

"Yeah, me too," Kagome agreed, twisting the straps of her purse nervously. _Come on you baka _She reprimanded herself. _Think of something else to say! _

"Well, uh, I'm gonna go now," Inuyasha looked at the steering wheel intently and then back at Kagome.

"O-oh okay," Kagome stepped back from the vehicle and watched Inuyasha. He grasped the steering wheel, as if contemplating whether or not he should say whatever was on his mind.

"If I haven't mentioned it yet," amber eyes met brown. "You look really nice today."

**A/N: **I complied with the request to make Inuyasha not seem so annoyed by Kagome! Go me!


	11. It Was Only a Kiss

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **For those of you who requested some Sango/Miroku interaction…I should warn you though, I didn't re-read this or anything so there's bound to be a sufficient amount of spelling and grammatical errors…

Chapter 11  
It Was Only a Kiss

"Um hum, no problem, thanks a lot…bye" Sango placed the receiver back in its original position after having another conversation with a member of the Higurashi family. Kagome hadn't returned from wherever she went and Sango felt bored out of her mind. It was a perfectly beautiful Saturday morning and she would be spending it alone. The thought was depressing…

"Hey sis," a voice piped up. Sango turned to see her little brother Kohaku shyly peering into her room. She motioned for him to come in and he did so, his freckled face lighting up into a smile. Kohaku had his hair tied up into a ponytail and was wearing nothing but his swimming trunks.

"Will you take me to the pool?" Kohaku knew that his sister liked things succinct, and chose not to dawdle. He mustered a pair of watery chibi eyes and knew that, if carried out right, he would succeed.

Sango covered her eyes laughingly. "Oh no! Not the chibi eyes!"

Kohaku rushed to his sister and tried to pry her hands away. After a good five minutes of tickling and laughing, Sango caved in. "Okay, okay. You win"

Kohaku jumped to his feet and did a victory dance. Sango shoved her little brother playfully and shooed him out while she changed.

"Arigato oneechan!" Kohaku rushed out the door and ran downstairs. Sango could hear Kohaku shouting excitedly, "Papa! She said yes! She's gonna take me swimming!" The brunette smiled fondly as she opened up her closet. Swimsuits were hung on the right side, but pushed more towards the back since she rarely ever swam. Speaking of which, Sango couldn't remember the last time she'd visited a pool.

Sango grabbed two swimsuits which stood out particularly. Heck, if she was going to go swimming, she might as well go wearing something nice. One swimsuit was a cotton candy pink, brimmed with magenta. The other was lavender in color and had small dark purple blossoms stitched in. After much deliberation, Sango slipped into the lavender colored suit and threw on a tank top and shorts.

"Let's go!" Kohaku drummed his feet against the floor when he spotted his sister jogging down the stairs. The effervescent kid hurried out the door, calling a last goodbye to dad. Father glanced up from his newspaper and looked instructively at Sango. "Drive safely."

:-:-:

The temperature had risen to 30 degrees Celsius, not unusual weather during the autumn season in Tokyo, Japan. As soon as the two siblings entered the car, Sango had switched on the AC and drove towards the local swimming pool, twenty miles away.

"Doesn't dad usually take you swimming?" Sango asked, pulling to a halt at the red light.

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah, but he said that he's busy today."

"Mm" Sango replied, taking a quick peak at the backseat. There, her duffle bag sat, filled with items like sun block, tanning lotion, and bug spray. Letting out a contented sigh, Sango smiled warmly at her younger brother. After their mother had passed away years ago, aside form his father, Kohaku looked to his sister for love and support.

Ten minutes later, when the duo had arrived at the pool, Kohaku exited the car and sprinted towards the pool. Sango grinned, knowing that he would return shortly. When he did, she handed him 800 yen without saying a word. Kohaku panted out a thank you and was rewarded with a pat on the head.

"I'll wait for you this time sis," Kohaku promised, grabbing the towel that she handed him.

When Sango was all sure she had everything, the two made their way towards the white gates. There was no denying that this pool was a paragon of excellence, bearing in mind that people had to _pay_ to get in each time they favored a good swim. Sango was so deep in thought that Kohaku soon lost interest in trying to start a conversation with her and dashed off. By the time that she'd reached the gates, she bought a bracelet/pass from a young college girl and wrapped it around her wrist.

"Have a good swim!" the girl closed the box in which she stored money.

As soon as Sango stepped passed the entry, she could only gape in astonishment at the size of the sparkling pools. There were five of them, each as magnificent as the one before it. Hoards of people had showed up on this scorching hot day. Groups of babies and toddles splashed around in the heart-shaped kiddy pool. Sango spotted Kohaku cannon balling into the deep end of a rectangular pool and line of kids eagerly waiting their turn. A whole bunch of girls sat tanning on immaculate white beach chairs while boys fought hard not to ogle.

"Sango Taijiya," Sango whirled around, almost flinchingly and saw the last person that she'd wanted to see: the houshi himself.

She tried hopelessly to hide her surprise and embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

Miroku grinned. "I work here."

Sango took a step back and frowned. _What!_

"Yeah," Miroku grabbed the back of his neck nervously. "Our rules are that no one is allowed in the premises without a bathing suit on so…" His blue eyes swept her entire body, making her shiver involuntarily. _Damn it_ Sango thought resentfully. _Why did I pick this day to wear a two piece?_

"You'll also need to shower before entering the pool." Miroku pointed out where the changing rooms were and Sango gladly ran off. _The houshi works at the pool! But I thought he worked at Takahashi! Could this be a second job? Doesn't the radio station pay him generously enough? Why did I have to wear a bikini today? Arrgg! _All these thoughts raced through the brunette's mind as she quickly disposed of her clothes and showered. Now all she needed to do was muster up the courage to step out into broad daylight.

:-:-:

"You're cute," a girl with raspberry colored hair giggled. Miroku chuckled. He was currently seated between two very beautiful women. Being a lifeguard certainly had its advantages. The other girl, a redhead with gorgeous green eyes and long curly hair began stroking his chest. Miroku took a quick look at the doorway to the girl's changing room. As it was his duty to look after this region of the pool, Miroku had to make sure Sango came out wearing a swimsuit.

:-:-:

Sango poked her head out to check if anyone was watching. Particularly a lifeguard whose named started with an M. When she spotted Miroku, Sango narrowed her eyes precariously. The lecher misinterpreted it as a sign of acknowledgement and called out an enthusiastic "Come join us, Sango-chan!"

Sango blanched and wrapped the towel she carried tightly around her body. Even hidden behind a thick wall, she felt bare and naked. Damn that pervert!

"And demote myself to _their_ level?" Sango threw dirty glares at Miroku's playthings. She could hear them protest and see them turn to Miroku with pouts. When he didn't respond right away, the two stood up and stalked away in unison. He reacted to their departure without delay.

"Hey wait! Come back!" The pervert boy jumped to his feet. "At least give me your numbers?" Now it was his turn to mope. Sango laughed at the gloomy expression on his face, but not out of cruelty. Over the years, she had learned that Miroku got over one girl as soon he spotted another one. Her laughter died down when his cobalt eyes rested on no other than herself.

"Don't even _think_ about it." Sango snapped, backing away slightly, even thought she knew she was safe in the girl's bathroom.

"Are you still angry about Friday night?" Miroku asked, looking at her curiously. Sango felt her cheeks flame up. _Kami, he made it sound so perverted!_

Sango, for the first time, was able to take in his nicely built, tanned form while she gaped at him incredulously. He wore black swim trunks that reached past his knees, and his chest and hair glistened with a mixture of water and sweat. It wasn't until Miroku spoke that Sango realized she was shamelessly staring.

"I guess I can't blame you." He stood up and started to walk away. She probably should've said something, but no matter how hard she tried, her lips wouldn't budge. And, as destiny wouldn't have it any other way, Miroku spotted another girl.

:-:-:

Sango leaned back against a striped beach chair. Correction, make that striped beaches chair with leg rest. She had propped her legs up, but still hadn't removed the fluffy white towel hiding her body from view. Miroku was long gone; off flirting somewhere with that blond. Adamantly, she downplayed the feeling boiling in the pits of her stomach as dyspepsia.

"Oneechan!" Kohaku appeared, toweling his wet hair. "Aren't you hot?" He looked at the towel she sported with puzzlement.

"Nope, not at all," Sango replied hastily. "How's the pool feel?"

"Terrific!" Kohaku proclaimed, giving her a big grin. "Come on in and see for yourself!" The twelve-year-old proceeded to make an effort at tugging his sister to her feet until she finally conceded and tossed aside her towel.

"So where will we be playing?" Sango asked brightly. She followed the little mop of brown as it bounced towards its destination: the water slides. Conquered by a massive group of children, this area hosted other great attractions such as waterfall trees, a wave pool, lazy river, bubbling geysers, and—Miroku?

Sango stopped dead in her tracks.

"Coming, sis?" Kohaku turned around to face his petrified sister. "What's wrong?"

Sango forced her legs to take on a quickened pace towards her little brother. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

Kohaku looked at her a bit skeptically. "Um, okay."

:-:-:

By the time they'd reached to swimming area, Miroku still hadn't spotted a frantic Sango, much to her relief. The two made their way up a long staircase and Kohaku took the steps two at a time until he reached the end of the long line. Sango ambled after, artfully watching Miroku all the while. At present, he was preoccupied with not one, but _five_ beautiful girls.

"Whatcha looking at?" Sango leapt a couple feet in surprise. She averted her eyes from their obvious target, but did so a little too late.

"Hey! That's Miroku!" Kohaku chortled. "He was my swimming instructor!" Knowing what was about to happen before it did, Sango's hand reached out to cover Kohaku's opening mouth. Again, she was a little too late.

"Miroku-sensei!" Kohaku yelled. The little kid waved his arms recklessly while leaning against the staircase, and just seconds later, caught the attention of the frustratingly handsome boy named Miroku. Miroku smiled before waving back. When his eyes met those of the flustered schoolgirl standing beside Kohaku, he simply stopped waving and gawked. The look on his face only made Sango blush more and wish that the bars covered a little more than knee down.

Her worst nightmare though, came when Miroku turned to the girls he was chatting with to wave sayonara. He then turned to look at her and Kohaku and approached them after some assurance and persuasion from Kohaku.

_Traitor! _Sango eyed her little brother evilly.

"Hey, Kohaku," Miroku gave the kid a high-five and ruffled his damp hair. That's when Sango noticed that Kohaku had been tying his hair a lot lower than normal…like Miroku's. Kohaku grinned proudly and bounded on ahead since the line was growing shorter.

Sango became aware of the unnerving fact that Miroku could now see all of her and took a giant step after Kohaku. Miroku grabbed her wrist and halted her planned actions. His grip was firm, yet gentle.

"You're looking real good today, Sango-chan," Miroku complimented, flashing her that common playboy smile.

"Do you tell that to everyone you-" she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"Nope." Sango stared at him, expectantly.

"Only to all the girls," Miroku finished, laughing a little.

Sango just about fell over anime style, but kept her composure. "Humph!" she copied Kohaku's earlier actions by taking the steps two at a time, to escape the evil clutches of Houshi-sama!

"But, but Sango!" Miroku sputtered.

Sango froze when she ceased to hear Miroku's voice. That could only mean that he'd found a good place to stare. Hell, she was wearing a bikini! That fact alone was inviting enough! Just as she was about to turn around and give the houshi a much deserved slap on the face, a nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her that unless she completed Yura's dare, she could forget about getting sweet revenge.

"Just what do you find so interesting back there?" Sango asked, her voice dripping with restraint. She paused to think for minute.

"Never mind, don't tell me."

"Are you sure you don't want to know?" Miroku spoke up finally, causing Sango to tremble ever so slightly.

"H-hurry it up, Houshi-sama," Sango grabbed his wrist and tried to close up the gap between herself and Kohaku. Already, they'd made it to the top of the winding staircase, to come face to face with the terrifying 55 ft. free fall water slide. Each year, this local swimming pool received renovations, making it appear more and more like a water park.

"Kohaku, be careful, ne?" Sango hugged her little brother from behind and attempted to kiss him. Kohaku squirmed away from his embarrassing sister.

"Nee-chan!" Kohaku complained whilst blushing a cherry red. Sango laughed and caught a pair of dark blue eyes. Miroku too had cracked up a bit, teasing Kohaku by making kissy noises. The two laugh and joked until it was finally Kohaku's turn.

"Poor kid," the young man in charged of the slide gave Kohaku a sympathetic smile. Sango and Miroku were too busy wiping away tears of mirth, Miroku's face half covered by Sango's head since she'd pressed her head against his shoulders for support.

"Your Mom and Dad giving you a hard time?" the man asked. Now it was Kohaku's turn to laugh at his sister's shocked appearance, a faint tinge of red splashed across the bridge of her nose. She, Sango Taijiya had just leaned against Miroku…a bare-chested Miroku. In addition, that guy thought Miroku and her were…_married!_

"We're not-" Miroku and Sango exclaimed at the same time. They stopped to look at one another while Kohaku tried to hold in his amusement. Funny how they still held onto one another.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man chuckled. "Here, let me help you out, kid." Kohaku sat down on the slippery surface of the slide, its little vents shooting out perturbed blasts of cold water. Glancing back at his sis and _maybe_ future brother in law, Kohaku gave them a thumbs up and a grin.

"See ya at the bottom guys!" And with that, he let go of the sides and threw his arms into the air.

"WOOOO HOOOOO!"

:-:-:

"Well, umn," Sango awkwardly released her hold on Miroku's shoulders and cleared her throat. "You first?" Miroku glanced at the serpentine fall and then back at the brunette. He was smirking faintly.

"How 'bout a goodbye kiss from my lady?" Miroku winked. Instead of blushing and dashing off like a rabid schoolgirl, Sango did the unexpected. Thoughts of completing the dare along with a secret desire to kiss the number one playboy fueled her to the point where she could do just about anything. Sango leaned over and planted a solid kiss on his lips. She pulled back before he could have the satisfaction seeing her swoon. As Miroku opened his mouth to speak, he was gently pushed down the slide, all the while, seated backwards.

"And you tell me you guys aren't married?" Sango continued to smile and wave at the retreating form of Miroku. The man that had previously given them a hard time applauded the raven-haired girl for her bold move.

"Though I can't help but feel sorry for you." Sango was a little baffled by his statement.

He peered over the edge of the slide and waited a while before drawing a deduction. "Yup, he's waiting for you down there."

Sango covered her face with her hands to hide her creeping blush.

:-:-:

While waiting for Sango to make an appearance, Miroku passed the time by watching scantily clad girls sunbathe. Occasionally, they would catch him staring and smile shyly. The giggles and gestures were inviting, _very_ inviting.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Nii-chan?" Kohaku splashed water on Miroku, disrupting the older boy's concentration.

Miroku looked down at the tiny mop of brown hair and at that instant, came up with a _great_ idea.

Miroku ruffled the little kid's hair affectionately. "Kohaku, wanna do me a favor?" Kohaku nodded eagerly, like a little puppy.

"Ok then. Look out for your sister and tell me when you see her come down _that_ slide." Miroku pointed at the particular ride.

"Ok." Kohaku began swimming around in the moderately deep pool, his eyes scanning the surface of the cerulean blue water. No signs of Sango yet. Miroku patted himself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant idea and ambled to the surface where three beautiful ladies were waiting…

:-:-:

"Is it safe yet?" Sango was too afraid to look.

"Um hum."

Exhaling a breath she didn't even know she was holding, Sango released her grip on the rim of the waterslide and let out a WHEEE! noise as her body descended, breezing through limitless twists and turns.

Little did she know what was waiting for her at the bottom.

:-:-:

"BOO!" Kohaku popped out of the water and tossed his arms into the air sending droplets of water to trickle downwards. Sango shrieked and lost her balance completely.

"Kohaku!" Sango rubbed chlorine out of her eyes as she staggered to stand on her feet. Just as she was about to lecture him, Kohaku made his escape. The freckled boy swam his way to shallower waters, and then walked the rest of the way. He spotted Miroku doing what he did best; flirt. Kohaku wiped away the blush which stained his cheeks. As a shy kid, he'd always looked up to Miroku who had such an easy time talking with people, especially girls.

"Uh, eh, M-Miroku," Miroku turned around and grinned.

"Hey, Kohaku, get over here!" Kohaku made his way over to the four, stepping on his feet and keeping his head down all the way. Miroku stood up and took the boy's hand firmly. He then seated him on the beach chair which he had previously occupied. The three girls began pampering the little kid, dubbing him cute and sweet. Kohaku was a beat red, but he couldn't say he didn't like it.

"So, Sango is still over there, right?" A nod from Kohaku had the playboy jogging off.

:-:-:

Sango floated on her back, and astoundingly, nobody stepped on her. She vowed to find Kohaku as soon as she gathered the energy to stand. She found herself nearing a cluster of waterfall trees painted to resemble colorful umbrellas and mushrooms. Flipping herself upwards, Sango approached the only tree which wasn't in use. It was a giant spotted pink and white umbrella. Right as she was about to step inside, a pair of strong arms reached out and tugged her into the watery abyss.

"Houshi-sama, what is the meaning of this!" Sango found herself smack dab in the arms of her…nemesis. Miroku released his hold on her arms and leaned his head down so that his lips barely grazed her left ear.

"Are we going to finish what you started, _Sango-chan_?"

Sango woke with a start, beads of perspiration dripped down the sides of her forehead. It was only a dream. It was nothing but a stupid dream. Sango made a face. _He was invading her dreams, damn it! _

"Sango-chan!" Sango gasped. His voice! It was him and he'd said it. The _exact_ words from her dream! As a last resort, Sango dove underwater and held her breath. _Was this pathetic or what?_ Miroku chuckled at the sight, certain that he could even spot the brunette a mile away since most people were already packing up and leaving. The temperature had dropped significantly, forcing the pool to close earlier than usual.

"Sango," Miroku reiterated, this time more sternly. Sango, of course, hadn't heard a word. All she knew was that air was running short and Miroku was getting too close for comfort. When she broke to the surface for air, _Miroku was standing right beside her. _

"Um, I can explain," Sango blushed and her mouth open and closed without delivering a word.

Miroku smiled lazily. "Pools closing, let's get you out of this wet suit."

:-:-:

Miroku rubbed an aching cheek. It was bright red from where Sango had slapped him. When he'd offered to help Sango "get out of this wet suit," he'd meant every word. He, Miroku, wanted to assist the lady in remove her bathing suit. What was so wrong with that?

"Ok. I'm done." Kohaku appeared from the men's changing room with a bag slung over one shoulder.

Miroku had been left the duty of locking up after everyone left. At the moment, there was only Sango left. When she appeared, Miroku grinned sheepishly and saluted the proud beauty. Sango in turn smiled and walked with him and her little brother to the white gates. Miroku locked up and then glanced down at his watch. It was a little past one.

"Onee-chan, I'm hungry," Kohaku's mental clock told him that eating lunch was way overdue and he voiced his concern.

"Oh!" Sango slapped her head. "I packed a picnic lunch for today." She looked over at Miroku, wanting very badly to ask him if he would join them.

"Hey Miroku, you wanna join us?" Kohaku tilted his head to the side rather cutely. The older boy smiled, but then looked unsurely at Sango. She nodded, surprising even herself for acting so shy around a boy that she'd practically grown up around.

**A/N: **So I updated later than expected…ah well. _Reviews are much appreciated!_ And be sure to answer the question: Was the fluffiness fluffy enough? Too fluffy? Insufficient?


	12. The Invitation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **I think this will be my longest chapter yet! I added some random mushy stuff at the end. I hope it all ties together and makes sense. Cookies and thank yous to all the wonderful reviewers! Your encouragement was great!

**PreciousLover170:** Kouga is coming up soon to help Inuyasha realize his possible feelings for Kagome and cause a little trouble. So yes, there will be flirting and jealousy. Sango, on the other hand, has to deal with all the girls that are a part of Miroku's life...poor girl. I hope my answer helped.

Chapter 12  
The Invitation

_Sango rummaged through the picnic basket and pulled out a folded checkered cloth. It was green and white, and covered an assortment of goods such as fruits, sandwiches, and cold drinks. Miroku offered to unfold the picnic blanket with Kohaku's help while Sango divided up the meal so that it would be suitable for a party of three. _

"_Nii-chan, you have to twist your end up!" Kohaku laughed joyfully and continued to instruct Miroku who was progressively drawing himself into a knot. Sango felt her heart warm at hearing her little brother refer to her crush as 'brother'._

"_Yes sir!" Miroku saluted. He did as he was told but only succeeded in getting into a tighter situation. Sango watched from the corners of her eyes and felt her lips twitch into smile. _

_Kohaku pouted. "Nee-chan, don't just stand there!" he motioned for her to come help free Miroku from his entangled condition. Sango giggled and closed the lid to the basket. She strolled over to where Miroku sat mummified. Now how had this happened? _

_Placing her hands behind her back, Sango acted as if Miroku were a display at the zoo or an artifact at a museum. She paced leisurely round and round, finally stopping to look him directly in the face. Of course, she had to squat down to perform this task, and at that instant, Miroku just happened to free his arms from the bandages. _

_Let's just say that for the rest of that day, while the trio enjoyed a picnic lunch in the chilled autumn sun, Sango sat as far away from the pervert as she could. He had done his share of touching for the day, as far as she was concerned. _

Sango twirled a lock of hair around her finger and continued to stare off into space. When she'd tried to help untangle Miroku, the two had somehow gotten intertwined. When only his hands were free, he'd "accidentally" pulled her to the ground. Then, by chance, his right hand had somehow grazed against her backside. By the time that the ordeal was over, the two had _a lot_ of explaining to do.

Sango rubbed her temples and shook her head from side to side. "Poor, poor Kohaku."

"Miss Taijiya, you appear to be shaking your head." The physics professor observed. "Perhaps _you_ can explain to the class what a coulumb is?"

Sango flinched visibly and looked down at the blank sheet of paper that lay on her desk. Sneaking a peek sideways, she noticed that the boy seated beside her had scribbled on at least three sheets of paper, front and back. _Damn it! Now is not the time to be thinking about Miroku! _

"Miss Taijiya?" The snow haired man smiled, pushing his spectacles up a bit. Sango blushed and cleared her throat. Now everyone was staring, people in front had swiveled their bodies round to face her.

Sango gulped and smiled nervously. "C-could you please repeat the question?"

"Of course," the professor answered pleasantly. "What is a coulumb?"

-:-:-A little while later-:-:-

Sango wasn't a happy camper. Apparently, the kid that had answered the question about the coulumb had gotten it right and the teacher had assumed that she wanted to contradict when she had shaken her head. So she'd made herself look like a complete moron when she restated his definition, which came right out of the text.

"That does it!" Sango fumed, turning the dial on her locker. "I'll just give up on this stupid, pointless, inconsequential-mm?" something white dropped out and landed on the ground. Sango looked around suspiciously before leaning down to pick up the object which was at once identified as an envelope. The envelope was bare of design save for the word SANGO which was centered and written in trim, capital letters on the front.

:-:-:

Kagome sat in apprehension as the teacher passed out the exams. She zipped open her pencil case and extracted a set of mechanical pencils and an eraser. Going over the hyperbolic functions in her head one last time, Kagome exhaled quietly and waited to receive a copy of the exam. When the instructor had nodded his approval, the class began working vigorously.

"X plus Y…one-fourth E to the…X subtract Y" Kagome mumbled all sorts of jumbled phrases as her pencil brushed against the paper. The room was filled with the sound of lead against paper and sighs and scratches. The clock ticked away precious seconds, and it was soon time to hand in the stapled bundle.

Kagome turned in her exam wearily. When she returned to her seat, she was surprised to find a white envelop placed neatly atop her desk. Kagome sat down, but not before looking around at who could've possibly put it there.

Printed in ink on the front was her name, KAGOME.

:-:-:

Miroku rubbed his sore shoulders as he walked down the crowded hallway. In his opinion, after school was probably the worst part of the day since it meant either swim practice, soccer, or some other crazy extracurricular activity. One of these days, he promised to throw the obligations aside and grab a bunch of girls and take a road trip. For now, he would just have to put up with this hectic life.

"Hey Miroku!" the older boy looked to his right and into a pair of honey brown eyes.

"Shizu," His low, gentle voice rumbled sensuously. "How can I help you?" He almost wished that she would ask for a lift home. That way, he would have an excuse to…to what?

"Are you going to take me out this weekend?" Shizu hooked her arms around his right and hugged tightly.

She blushed. "My parents won't be home so we could…" Miroku chuckled lightly and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Nowadays, girls were so eager to please. Regrettably, they went about it the wrong way.

"We'll see," Shizu released her grip on his arm when they reached the locker rooms. Miroku smiled softly at her and then proceeded towards the men's room.

-:-:-Swimming Pool-:-:-

The penetrating sound of the whistle sent a batch of swimmers hustling into the water. It was like soccer practice all over again! The water whipped angrily as a flurry of arms beat down against its once composed surface. Raspy breathing filled every inch of the spacious room. Miroku swam the 600 yards of nonstop freestyle, leading the pack as usual.

The head coach roared as he watched in the sidelines, cheering his swimmers on. "COME ON! HOMESTRETCH! LET'S GO! SPEED IT UP!"

The whistle blew again and had another set of swimmers diving in. Miroku exited, breathing in and out, shallow breaths. The claps on the back he received from his teammates had the star swimmer wheezing. Another school record meant another step towards winning the gold cup.

Miroku sat down on the bench beside his duffle bag and toweled himself dry. The navy blue bag was left open and Miroku reached inside for his bottle of water. His hand groped around until it touched something foreign. The object was moderately thin, and had four corners. Pulling it out, he discovered a white envelop addressed to himself, MIROKU.

:-:-:

Inuyasha stuck his head out of the driver's window. "Move it ya bastard!" The man driving in the black Chrysler gave the finger making the short-tempered hanyo bristle. Driving home during traffic hour was impossible! Just as Inuyasha was about to prove that when it came to arguments, _he_ was unmatched, the other man made a left.

The hanyo smirked triumphantly. "Hah!"

That smirk was wiped away hours later when he finally made it to his apartment…

"Stupid traffic hour…" Inuyasha muttered, running a hand through his silver tendrils. He kicked his shoes off and threw off his red and white track jacket. It lay in a puddle on his floor. Moments later, a white t-shirt joined, along with a pair of shorts. At least the dog boy had the decency to toss his plaid boxers in the hamper before entering the shower.

Inuyasha whistled as he stepped out from a refreshing shower ten minutes later. "Ah, that felt good."

The phone began ringing, forcing the hanyo to throw a towel around his waist and trudged out to the living room to pick up.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's Miroku," the fuzzy hum indicated that the caller was using a cell phone. Various noises in the back prompted the hanyo to assume that Miroku was still at school.

"Have you checked your mail lately?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Inuyasha gripped the towel around his waist angrily. He was still dripping wet from the shower.

"Just answer me," Miroku replied coolly.

"Keh, no I haven't," Inuyasha growled. "Now what's this all about idiot?"

Miroku lowered his voice as someone walked by. "Can't talk now, coach is coming." There was a click as the other boy turned his phone off. Inuyasha was confused. He placed his phone down slowly and stared blankly at the TV screen. That was a weird conversation…

Inuyasha changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a faded blue-grey shirt. After drying his exquisite silvery hair, he grudgingly began working on his homework for tomorrow. Pulling out a stack of books from his backpack, he took notes on the Japanese Parliament. Half and hour into his study session, Inuyasha felt bugged. _What the hell did Miroku mean! _

'_I guess there's only one way to find out'_ Inuyasha lifted up one of the sofa's cushions and searched for the mail key.

-:-:-Checking the Mail-:-:-

Inuyasha was completely unaware that he was about to experience something similar to what Kagome went through when she opened his closet at Takahashi's. Carelessly slipping the key into the keyhole, Inuyasha wasn't ready for the stream of papers that assailed him. The way those letters and advertisements blasted out resembled nothing short of an avalanche.

"Arrghh, stop damn it!" Inuyasha tried in vain to command the mailbox to stop.

-:-:-Several Minutes Later-:-:-

The hanyo drew in a sharp breath as he sealed up another cut with the clear band aid stuff his coach had recommended for minor bruises. After five or so trips to the mailbox, Inuyasha managed to bring all his junk into the living room. He dumped them all on the ground.

Good thing the maid came every weekend…

Inuyasha tore open the first letter in the pile. It was an invitation to dinner from his parents. He tossed that one aside since it was dated a couple months back.

The next couple papers were advertisements and cut-out coupons. Inuyasha kept those that hadn't expired and would be useful for future purposes. The more he sorted through the mail, the more fun the task seemed to be. It was odd, but true. Inuyasha stacked the magazine subscriptions that he planned to skim though later and picked up a crumpled square envelope.

_Funny, it doesn't have an address…just my name printed on the cover._

Sticking a clawed finger into the slightly opened flap, Inuyasha tore the envelope open and extracted an expensive-looking marbled colored card.

:-:-:

Kagome kneeled beside the low table where both envelopes were placed. She rested her chin on her fists and sighed. Sango paced the floor nervously and then finally flopped down beside the other girl. "Ok, let's open them."

Kagome tried to contain her enthusiasm and picked up her envelope.

"No wait." Kagome groaned and dropped her envelope. This had been going on for the last half hour, during which Kagome's mood switched from boredom to exuberance to boredom, and so forth.

"Kami, it's just a letter!" Kagome growled.

Sango winced. "I know…it's just …"

The older girl scoffed and picked up her own. When she'd found the envelope, which practically _begged_ to be opened, Sango had had this weird feeling that she wouldn't like what was inside. She sensed an obligation of sorts and quickly stuffed the dreadful thing away in hopes that she could forget about it. When the last bell rung, she only got as far as the door before Kagome appeared brandishing a look-alike envelop.

Which brings us back to Sango's house, where one girl appears perplex, the other frustrated.

"We'll never know until we open it!" the shorter girl quipped. Sango muttered an agreement but didn't budge from her arms-crossed position.

Kagome smiled delightedly. "I'll just open mine and tell you what's inside then." She carefully tore open the seal and drew out a fancy little card. It resembled a wedding invitation because of its lavish appearance, but upon close inspection, turned out to be an invitation to a party.

"A party!" Kagome exclaimed, handing the invitation over to Sango.

"From dawn to dusk," Sango read, skimming through the material. "Games, surprises, and…" Sango blanched. "Yura."

Kagome looked up confused. "Yura?"

Sango nodded, handing the letter over to Kagome who gulped audibly. "I'm sure it's just a misprint…"

:-:-:

Inuyasha scanned though the invitation. Why had they sent him an invitation? Everyone knew that if they wanted Takahashi at a party, all they had to do was ask.

"Games and surprises?" Inuyasha snorted. "What am I, eight?" He started to laugh but then froze up. '_Yura? No way in hell am I going to this thing if it's hosted by Yura!' _

'_But everybody knows that she throws the best parties!' _A voice in the back of his head snapped. Inuyasha tried to perish the thought by focusing on something else. Like the remaining mountain of papers on his coffee table.

"Think of something else…think of anything else…" Inuyasha grinded his teeth together and began focusing on his homework. The phone rang.

The hanyo picked up eagerly. "Hello?"

"I take it you read the invitation?" Miroku laughed and took a sip from his water bottle.

"Keh, so what if I did?" Inuyasha retorted. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you got one too."

The swimmer simply nodded. "Yup, though I'll admit I first thought it was a love note from my sweet Sango-chan."

"Che. In your dreams bub," Inuyasha snickered. "That girl hates your guts."

Miroku thought back to the dreamy kiss that they'd shared that faithful day she visited the swimming pool. Ok, so it wasn't dreamy…and she probably hadn't come intentionally, but still, he Miroku had snagged the impossible. "I wouldn't speak too soon my friend."

Inuyasha snorted.

"So anyway, are you going?" Miroku didn't have to specify to what, because he knew it was already on the dog demon's mind. Inuyasha grunted. It was his favorite substitute for KEH, which he used whenever he was unsure of something.

"Do you know anyone else she invited?"

Miroku let the thought roll over and over in his mind. "Nope, I figured that if she invited me, then she's bound to have invited you."

"H-hey! Is that an insult?" Inuyasha barked.

Miroku rolled his eyes atypically. "Yes, Inuyasha, I'm insulting you."

Inuyasha ignored that. "She probably invited the whole school." While it might sound exaggerated coming from someone like Inuyasha, the idea was not altogether impossible. Yura came from a well-to-do family and was the sole heir to the family's silk company. Yura lived in a huge mansion, rivaling that of Sesshoumaru's, which was definitely saying something.

"If she's inviting the whole school, then we should be safe." Miroku mused. _'If she's inviting the whole school, then there will be a lot of lovely young ladies for me to…' _Miroku stopped himself before he began giggling and drooling. THAT would be very bad indeed…

"What are you mumbling about?" Dog boy asked, holding back a laugh.

"Uh, nothing!" Miroku denied. "Coach is calling." That last part was followed by a click and a dial tone. Scoffing, Inuyasha hung up and got back to work.

:-:-:

The next day, word got around about Yura's party and, as Inuyasha predicted, everyone received an invitation. During passing period and breaks, it was all people talked about. Yura this and Yura that. The hair demon rarely ever threw parties of her own, but when she did, they were big events. Everybody just _had_ to go, or miss out on a years worth of gossip.

"Nothing is off limits!" the social butterfly let out an imperious laugh and flicked her hair aside as she lectured a group of girls that tagged along after her. "After all, my parents will be out of the country."

Inuyasha could've sworn that the devious girl-demon _winked _at him as she walked down the hallway. The half-demon tried to hold in his breakfast and pretended to puke. Yura rolled her purplish-pink eyes. _Didn't he know that all girls had eyes in the back of their heads? _

"Love you too, _Inu-koi_" Yura smirked when she could practically _hear_ the steam blowing out from his cute little dog ears. Her followers giggled and the sickening word _Inu-koi_ was resonated throughout the group, a delight to the hair demon's ears.

The silver-haired boy stalked away in the opposite direction with a firm scowl on his face. His thoughts were so clouded with malice that he didn't notice the girl pass him. He didn't notice her steps falter or those chocolate brown eyes that locked on him when she realized who he was. He walked right pass her without issuing a word. Her waving arm went slack and dropped down to clutch her textbooks. He didn't notice any of this.

Kagome bit her bottom lip fearfully. '_He…he's ignoring me!' _

She tried to find any plausible reason for why he might be so mad. He had trudged pass her with a look of utmost contempt. His eyes had flickered in her direction, but it seemed as if he was looking right _through_ her. She wasn't prepared for the throbbing pain in her chest that his coldness had brought about and caught herself from falling just in time. In sacrifice, her books tumbled to the ground and caused such a loud racket that it echoed down the empty hallway. When Kagome leaned down to pick up her spilled books, it suddenly dawned upon her that the hallways were completely empty. Well, except for herself and Inuyasha…and the spilled books.

Inuyasha snapped out of his trance and whirled around. "Kagome!" Immediately, he was by her side helping scoop up the fallen materials. "Did I do this?—I'm sorry." The brunette felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks warm slightly when their hands touched briefly.

"No, it wasn't you." she quickly explained. "I--I fell on my own."

The hanyo quirked an eyebrow and said, "Why am I not surprised?"

Kagome blushed like a tomato. "S-Shouldn't you be in class?" Inuyasha looked at the clock on the wall and cursed foully. He dashed off to class leaving an amused schoolgirl behind to reflect over their encounter.

:-:-:

For a whole ten minutes, Sango prayed that Inuyasha would show up for Government. He hadn't. And so, the dark-haired brunette was asked to partner up with Miroku since she sat on his other side. This came as a disappointment for many of the females in the class. The teacher, who was aware of the Miroku's uncanny ability to stray from topic when partnered with a girl, had no objections when it came to pairing him with Sango. Unlike other girls, Sango had developed a sort of resistance to Miroku. So nothing could go wrong. Right?

"O-Ok, w-what have you got?" she cursed herself for stuttering and looked directly at her notes to avoid looking into those eyes of his. Miroku didn't respond right away and Sango refused to lift her head. All around them, people were comparing notes and debating. Sango mentally thanked the teacher for placing her towards the back and continued to stare blankly at the piece of paper.

Suddenly, his fingers were on her chin. They gently tilted her head upwards without much difficulty. His eye sparkled with good humor and his features were stunning even at such close proximity. "You were going to have to look at me eventually Sango," he smiled handsomely and released his hold on her chin, leaving her speechless.

"The nation's parliament is called the diet," It was remarkable how Miroku could switch from a romantic mode to a serious, all in the blink of an eye. Sango was still trying to recover from the shock of his touching her oh so casually.

"Government Ministries include the Ministry of Agriculture, Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, and the list goes on…each agency just as vital as the next." Miroku stopped talking as soon as he caught the look of suspicion on Sango's face.

He grinned mischievously. "Is this not what you wanted?"

"Just _what_ is that supposed to mean?" she challenged with typical resilience.

"What do you want Sango? Tell me and I'll make it happen." Miroku was toying with her, Sango was aware of that. It seemed that every year in some class or another, she was stationed close to him and would be forced to listen as he sweet talked his way into a girl's heart. At the time, it never really bothered her because she knew that his attention was always fairy divided. She was OK with sharing him…but that was then.

"I want you…" Deep inside, she wanted to leave it at that and see what his reaction would be.

She got it anyway.

"You want me? Wow, I don't know what to say." Miroku feigned a look of shock.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Sango blushed. "I meant that-"

"Takashi! Take your seat…I marked you down as absent." The teacher looked through the mass of students and nodded at Sango. He had to yell to be heard because the room was filled with the sounds of chatter. "Ms. Taijiya, you are free to join another group." Sango breathed a small sigh of relief but began to panic at the same time. Shelooked away, but not before taking a glimpse at Miroku. He was smiling...

:-:-:

Tuesday afternoon, when the bell rung and Sango had caught up with Kagome, she poured out the days events and was finally able to relax afterwards. Kagome too, told Sango about the hallway encounter. Through it all, Sango wondered why Kagome was smiling so much. She got her answer as soon as Kagome turned down the hallway that led _away_ from the parking lots.

"I thought I was giving you a ride home today?" There was confusion written all over her face. Kagome stopped and turned around embarrassedly. "Y-Yeah, you are, but first…do you want to come somewhere with me?"

Sango had a bad feeling about this. "Come where?"

"Soccer practice!" Kagome beamed and raced on ahead.

**A/N: **Not much Inu/Kag in this chapter...I'm sure you'll all love the next one then. Readers please review...I worked hard on this chapter!


	13. His Heart Is Owned

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note: **The hard drive on my family's main computer is broken so to those of you who are patiently awaiting an update on H.K.S: I'm so sorry! Also, school for me begins next Monday. I'm going to a completely different school, not mentioning the fact that this _is _my senior year, so bear with me if I don't update as often. Thanks!

Chapter 13  
His Heart Is Owned

A tall and slender girl stepped out from the front seat of a silver Porsche. The sunlight splashed across her immaculate, red school uniform. She nodded politely at the man seated at the driver's seat and then strode away carrying an air of superiority.

She approached the entrance of Shikon High and pushed against the metal pad. The door opened with a clang that sent echoes down the barren hallway. The faint outlines of a smile could be seen on the girl's pale face. Her dark brown eyes danced merrily as she began to recall memories little by little. Two years hadn't changed the school at all.

"Excuse me miss," Her brown eyes swiveled to the right and stopped when they focused on a pair of gray eyes belonging to a salt-and-peppered haired man. He was dressed in normal clothes, but had a police cap tilted precariously to the right, on what appeared to be a balding head.

"Yes? How can I help you officer?"

The man scratched the side of his head rather awkwardly. "Well, ma'am-"

She let a small laugh escape her lips. "I am a student, sir."

The officer appeared stumped for a minute, but seconds later, relieved himself from discomfort by laughing at his own blunder. His laughter was forced and clearly a dramatization. "But of course I knew that!"

She merely smiled at his charade and nodded.

"If you are new to Shikon High, then you'll need to speak with the secretary."

"I am a returning student," she replied calmly. The man, identified as Officer Ryo by his nametag, stopped mid-speech. For the past year and a half, the new officer made it his duty to recognize and greet each person that entered the building. Why then, he wondered, was it so difficult putting a name on this face? She vaguely resembled someone, but her gracefulness and maturity had him doubting his word.

"K-Ka something…hmm," He tapped his chin. "Forgive me if I'm wrong…I am an old man after all…but…is your name Kagome?"

"No, sir. I believe we have a misunderstanding here," The girl pushed aside several strands of long jet-black hair that rested on her shoulders. Her seemingly flawless tendrils reached the lower regions of her back and were tied into a low ponytail with a white ribbon.

"I've _returned_ after two years absence…my name is Kikyo."

:-:-:

Sango tried to make herself look small. "I can't believe I let you drag me into this…"

The two were currently seated in the stands, at a preferable distance from where the boys would start practice shortly. A couple of coaches lined the field conversing with each another and comparing game plans. Sango thanked her lucky stars that she and Kagome weren't the only ones that showed up to watch soccer practice. Apparently, a handful of other kids thought it would be a productive way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.

"Gods, Miroku's going to think that I stalk him…or something like that…"

Just as she spoke these words, the huge brass doors that separated the inside of the school from the soccer field opened to reveal the captain and co-captain. Behind the leaders, concealed by a thick wall and shrouded in darkness, stood the twenty-eight members of the team. Inuyasha was a sight for sore eyes in his red uniform. He stood proud and upright with his chin pointed up and his chest puffed out. His long silver hair was tied back, and because of this, his gorgeous amber eyes gleamed when touched by the rays of the afternoon sun.

If anyone managed to tear their eyes away from Inuyasha, an almost impossible feat indeed, they would come to see that the person that stood beside him was not Miroku, but a brown haired young man by the name of Hojo. The handsome, chivalrous young man was a female favorite, but failed to fetch as much attention because he seemed only interested in one girl in particular: Higurashi, Kagome.

"Stretches! Warm ups!" One of the coaches hollered, and then blew his whistle. The thirty boys jogged out in two perfectly straight lines then stopped midfield and split themselves into five even rows, each with six members. The team synchronized their stretches when doing pushups and sit-ups.

"Ten laps! Let's move it!" More whistling followed this command. The team did as they were instructed without breaking a sweat. Up in the stands, Kagome could do little but gawk like everyone else. "Ten laps! I can barely do half of that in gym class!"

Sango laughed, but didn't quite agree since she herself liked to run. The older girl's eyes busily surveyed the field, in search of Miroku. Half of the team, Inuyasha's half, was dressed in red while the other half was dressed in navy blue. From what she knew, the two sides would be playing each other after preliminary drills.

"He's probably dressed in blue," Kagome mumbled.

"What?" Sango ceased to stare and centered her attention on the girl seated beside her.

Kagome shrugged. "Miroku. I'm saying that he's probably dressed in blue." Sango blushed and averted her eyes so that they had no chance of wandering.

"I-I wasn't looking for him!" She hopelessly denied. Kagome quirked a brow but didn't tease. Instead, the younger girl did her friend a favor by joining in the search for Miroku. Sango was the first to spot him and she gave it away when she gasped.

Kagome's eyes darted around frantically. "What? You found him?"

Sango nodded pathetically and pointed. "He's right there."

As Kagome had suspected, Miroku was dressed in blue. The color suited him well as it accentuated the color of his eyes. Sango found that she had a hard time looking away from the playboy--despite the fact that she'd already seen him half-naked; a fully clothed Miroku was just as yummy looking as one dressed in swimming trunks.

The coaches had every player line up on one end of the terrain and then had them skip, gallop, and jog across the field. Occasionally, a stop command would be called out and players were asked to do a particular amount of jumping jacks. Then came the final exercise. Players dribbled around the field three times and then had to weave their way through orange cones in a single file and stop on command. Only after every player completed this task would the match officially begin.

"They're starting the match!" Sango felt a tug at her sleeves. She looked to the center of the field and noticed instantly that the team had separated; blue team to the left and red to the right. Fortunately, Kagome happened to choose seats facing the middle of the field.

"You chose good seats, Kagome-chan," Sango said, keeping her voice neutral.

Kagome blushed and pointed somewhere downwards. Sango looked. The two were seated in the bleaches, second row to the bottom. She but had to crane her neck upward to be able to peer over the miniature fence. Wedged close to the granite wall were several benches. If someone were standing there, then they would only be a couple feet away from where Kagome and Sango sat; in other words, talking distance. Coincidentally, the only people who sat on benches were the players…

"Kagome!" Sango jumped in alarm. "You did this on purpose!"

Kagome grinned, fire burning in her eyes. "You bet I did!"

Somewhere in the fields, a pair of brown eyes was staring up at the jubilant brunette dressed in green. The owner of those brown eyes prayed that she would look his way just once.

"HOJO! ARE YOU LISTENING!" The coach was yelling right into the ear of the culprit and sending his brown hair tousling. "YOU ARE NOW A CAPTAIN SO START ACTING LIKE ONE!"

Hojo nearly collapsed from shock but still had the strength in him to salute. "Y-Yes Sir!" Those that witnessed the scene below questioned if he had lost the ability to hear after that traumatizing experience. Kagome looked with sympathy to where the boy stood blushing from head to toe. "Ah, poor Hojo-kun!"

"Speaking of Hojo," Sango said slyly. "You do know that the poor boy has harbored feelings for you since the sixth grade, _riiight_?"

Kagome shook her head dissuasively. "No. We're just really good friends, that's all."

"Oh please!" Sango snorted. "It's so obvious that he wants to be more than just friends," Kagome stared incredulously at Hojo, and then back at Sango.

"And besides, I didn't say that you felt the same way…so your friendship excuse won't work, Kagome-chan."

Kagome's lips opened and close like a fish underwater. "I--but--no--we"

"He likes me?" Kagome wheezed out the last part, as if it were the most startling piece of information she'd ever heard. Sango rolled her eyes languidly and nodded. Either Kagome was a good actress, or she had been genuinely unaware that Hojo liked her all through junior high.

"Oh I can't believe this!" Sango murmured. "You're telling me that you never knew?"

"Let's just watch the game," Kagome glanced shyly at Hojo, catching his eye for a split second. As punishment for not paying attention to the coach when he lectured on defensive and attacking tactics, Hojo had to dribble around the field five times while the rest of the players did one last exercise.

"Ok, the match starts now!" Kagome clapped her hands briskly. The teams stood huddled in circles and listened to the commands of their captain for a brief period of time. Then, ten players on each side scampered about the field, standing in their designated posts.

Inuyasha played forward position for his team and Miroku midfield, so it was no surprise to find Kagome and Sango staring at opposite sides of the field in different areas. Occasionally though, Kagome would glance at Hojo without meaning to. All through the game, the coaches would reprimand Inuyasha for hogging the spotlight.

"Takashi, TEAMWORK!" Mr. Hattori had his hands waving up in the air like a lunatic and his beet-red face was screwed into an expression of absolute dissatisfaction. "I can't stress this enough!"

The sophomore geometry teacher, Mr. Taisho, served as another coach and he yelled just as loud as Mr. Hattori did. "Takashi, get off the field!"

Protest broke out in the winning team, the loudest coming from Inuyasha.

"You can't just kick me out!" Inuyasha snarled, glaring at the head coach.

"That's an order," Mr. Taisho grounded out. He held a clipboard in one hand and swiftly pointed to the benches with his other. Inuyasha growled softly under his breath, but followed the orders of the only man who could possibly get him cut off the team permanently.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_," Inuyasha chanted the mantra while sulking to the benches.

"Here he comes," Sango whispered. The corners of her lips curled up.

"And he's angry too," Kagome's brows were woven in perplexity, but instead of running away, the schoolgirl tackled the problem head on. She conquered the few steps that divided them and stopped at the gate, which reached her hips and was the only borderline.

"Inuyasha, are you ok?" Her voice came out sounding stronger than expected and caught the hanyo's attention almost immediately.

"Kagome," He mustered a lazy grin. "And here I thought you weren't going to show..."

She stuck her tongue out playfully. "Yeah well, I did. You got a problem with that?"

He laughed. _He actually laughed. _

Kagome felt inclined to sit, so she sat on the fence with her back away from Inuyasha. Twisting her body round, she managed to get comfortable and talk to Inuyasha at the same time. "You didn't answer my question, baka." The instant the word came out, she held her breath. '_Would he be ok with me calling him that?'_

"Keh, I've been better." His voice trailed off for a moment, then came back stronger. "Anyway, Mr. Taisho's being an ass--he's afraid that one day I'll break a leg or something and the whole team will fall apart."

Kagome bit her lower lip and nodded as she gave him her undivided attention.

"The man has no faith in his players!" Inuyasha cried out. He fisted his hands together and frowned as he stared out into the field. "And because of his insecurity, I get benched."

"Maybe it's for the best?" Kagome suggested. His amber eyes flooded with confusion, but he wasn't mad. This convinced Kagome that it was safe to push further.

"This way, the players can learn to trust one another…instead of always passing the ball to you." Inuyasha thought this over before a smile played on his lips.

"Maybe you're right," he mused.

She sighed happily and glanced up at Sango. At that instant, the stands erupted with cheers and applaud. Sango jumped up and clapped wildly. Kagome spun around quickly, but in her haste, she lost her balance. Inuyasha was the only one close enough to hear her yelp and in an instant, his arms were encircled around her waist, while hers clasped around his neck. He stumbled back a pace, his eyes wide with shock when he found that he too was loosing control.

Moments later, Inuyasha found himself sitting on the ground kicking up dust. Kagome sat atop his lap, in a more bridal style position. Oddly, her arms never left their position around his neck. And Inuyasha, he had one arm snugly around her waist, the other acting as a lever to keep them propped up.

"Are you…" he barely finished his sentence before she interrupted.

"I'm ok!" Kagome turned ten thousand shades of red (at least, it felt like it).

Reluctantly, the brunette untangled her arms from his neck, and he followed her lead by removing his arm from her waist. Both persons scooted away from the other with heads down to hide their furious blushing.

"W-Well," Inuyasha coughed nervously. "Um…"

Kagome brushed off invisible specks of dust from her green skirt. "S-Sorry, Inuyasha." She wanted to laugh at the absurdity that it only took a simple fall to turn to the two into blubbering idiots. Inuyasha was the first to attempt to stand. He grasped at the wall, and pulled himself up before offering Kagome his hand. She gratefully accepted and (to her hidden delight) felt a wondrous sensation work its way through her body. His clawed hands were callused, a sure sign that he was a hard worker. They were warm and gentle with her own. But it was depressingly inevitable that he would have to let go.

"I-I'm gonna have a word with coach," Inuyasha muttered absentmindedly. Kagome bobbed her head in affirmation, seemingly lost in a daydream.

He grinned in reply. "I guess I'll see you around then."

Kagome waved, and then whirled around when she felt a tapon her shoulder.

"What happened?" Sango asked. "All I could see was the top of Inuyasha's head…and I think you were sitting beside him. What were you two doing on the ground?"

"Ah, I'll tell you later," Kagome kept her head low.

"You're blushing!" Sango accused.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"What are you two arguing about?" A feminine voice purred. Two pair of brown eyes turned to the newcomer whose tight and revealing clothing identified her as the one and only Yura. A mystery girl that oddly resembled Kagome accompanied Yura. She gazed longingly at the soccer field, not acknowledging the rest of her surroundings.

"That's none of your concern," Kagome replied snappishly.

"Humph! I was only trying to start conversation," Yura had her hands on her hips. "But regardless, that's not what I came here for."

There was an evil glint in her eyes. "I want you to meet Kikyo." She motioned to her left. Kikyo didn't move her head, but her eyes shifted to the side. When she saw Kagome, she held her gaze as if analyzing the younger girl. Then, her fascination returned to the field.

"There is something that I would like to do," Kikyo explained humbly. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Kagome and Sango." With these closing remarks, she glided down the last step, opened the gate, and walked on.

Kagome stepped through the gate and seated herself on the first row next to Sango. "That was strange…how did she know my name?"

"I might've mentioned your names on the way over," Yura ushered Sango aside and sat in between the two girls.

"Why would someone like her have friends like you?" Sango asked suspiciously.

Yura linked her arm around Sango's shoulder and exclaimed loudly. "I'm everybody's friend!" Sango blushed when just about everybody looked her way, including Miroku. _'Why oh why does it always have to be ME?' _

Miroku flashed her a lopsided smile and waved. Sango was in the process of waving back when it suddenly occurred to her that maybe he was waving at someone _behind _her. She lowered her raised hand and looked back. The space was empty. A sense of giddiness washed over her entire body, and she turned back around and smiled.

The match had resumed; meaning that Miroku was too preoccupied to be staring around like an idiot. Sango sighed. Opportunity not grasped.

While Sango wallowed in her own misery, Yura fixed her attention on Kagome.

"I knew from day one that you would have an advantage over Inuyasha," Yura examined her nails carefully.

"And why is that?" Kagome asked nonchalantly. She was really too busy thinking about Kikyo and her haunting presence to care.

"Kikyo." That had the human girl's full attention causing Yura the demon to giggle charmingly. Yura twirled a lock of her ebony black hair, smiling slowly as if she knew a secret. "I would guess that by now you realize just how similar the two of you look."

"Are you saying that Inuyasha likes me because I look like her?" Kagome was taken aback by the implication.

Yura cackled. "You're a smart girl, figure it out."

"I--I don't understand," Kagome looked out at the field, then looked back at Yura.

"You see, Kagome, Inuyasha's heart…it belongs to Kikyo."

:-:-:

From the way that he stood, she could only see the back of his head. He was watching the game with his hands crossed. Kikyo serenely strode towards him, hands to her side. When she reached him, however, she placed one hand on his shoulder and kept it there as he turned around to face her. The expression on his face was that of pure shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She reached up to cup his chin, raking her fingers delicately across the smooth, shaven skin.

"Inuyasha…" she smiled tenderly. The demon remained rigid and silent.

"K-K-Kikyo," Finally, he choked out her name, his voice quivering for the first time.

**A/N:** Yes,I know it was short. I just really wanted to get this chapter out before school started. So let's see...I've introduced Kouga, Hojo, and Kikyo. Now it's time for all the drama andaction!Wouldn't this be an appropriate time to say, 'Buckleup your seat belt kids'?


	14. Double Encounter

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

**Author Note:** I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am giving up on this story. That is simply not true.

-:-

Chapter 14  
Double Encounter

-:-

-:-

His mouth hung open and he appeared to struggle for words. Kikyo let her hand drop to her side, though they were dying to touch the demon again. It almost pained her, watching the gleams of sunlight that flickered over his golden eyes. They could bring a girl down to her knees; exhaust the offender with guilt, those eyes. And Kikyo knew, for she had _much_ to be guilty about.

-:-

"It's been a while," Kikyo cleared her throat and smiled hesitantly. Keeping her eyes trained on his chest, the newcomer shyly reached out and straightened the hanyo's uniform. She gasped when his hands suddenly lifted and clasped around her forearms. His swift action had brought her eyes darting to his face for assurance. What she found instead was puzzlement and skepticism. With a stiff push, Inuyasha effectively put distance between the two.

-:-

"What made you come back?" the demon sneered. "The Private Academy not good enough for you?" An unfazed Kikyo took the insult in stride and bowed her head patiently. She would let him vent out his hatred for her until she found something she could work upon.

-:-

Inuyasha balled his hands into fists and delivered the next blow. "Two fucking years Kikyo—that's how long I waited." She visibly flinched at his searing language. He was growling now, a mixture of frustration and worry poured forth.

-:-

"You didn't even have the guts to tell me you were leaving," Inuyasha added bitterly. "For a year and a half, I couldn't do so much as _breathe_." Kikyo opened her mouth as if to speak, but then wisely chose to remain quiet. She kept her eyes downcast.

-:-

Inuyasha sighed in resignation. "I blamed myself, Kikyo. I know now I was never good enough for you." With that said, Inuyasha strode away. Surprising even herself, Kikyo stood still and watched Inuyasha disappear through the stadium doors. None of the coaches tried to stop him. Nor did any of the soccer players. The match resumed, but not without discomfort. Players glanced at each other, and surreptitiously, their eyes would follow the tall and slender figure of the young woman Kikyo as she departed in the opposite direction from their captain.

-:-

(In the Stands)

-:-

Yura was looking peeved. _What the hell kind of reunion was that? _She turned to Kagome to make some excuse to cover for Inuyasha's treatment of his supposed lover Kikyo, but found that both her companions had silently took leave.

:-:-:

:-:-:

-:-

"Please, let's try and be realistic," Sango protested, pulling her friend back a couple paces. Kagome responded by leaning forward and using all her bodyweight to make an advancement.

-:-

_Kami when has she gotten so strong? _Sango wondered, digging her feet against the ground. It was like a game of tug of war, only with two people and no rope. Sango was half afraid she might pull Kagome's arm right out of its socket. But the sheer indecency of what Kagome was about to do (on top of it being anatomically impossible for a person using sheer strength alone to rip another's arm off) banished all concern.

-:-

"But _Sango_, I know he's in there," Kagome whined, twisting her arm with hopes of escape.

-:-

Sango rolled her eyes lethargically. "Well that's obvious. But it's still no reason to go barging into the boy's changing room!"

-:-

"I need to speak with him—"

-:-

"What difference will it make?" Sango snapped crossly, letting her friend's arm go. Kagome fell forward a few steps and reached for the handle for support.

-:-

"Do you honestly think that he'll appreciate your constantly butting into his life?"

-:-

Kagome tensed and stared at her hands. Her knuckles had turned white from griping the door handle so tightly. _I look so pathetic right now…chasing after Inuyasha when Yura already said…that I could never have him for myself. _

-:-

The look on Kagome's face stopped Sango mid-tirade. With a weary groan, Sango shook her head. "You really care about him don't you?"

-:-

Kagome bit her lip uncertainly. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

-:-

Sucking in a breath of resolution, Sango reached out and tugged on Kagome to detach herself from the door handle. As a best friend and in a sense, an older sister, Sango felt it was her duty to help Kagome and follow the younger girl's instincts.

-:-

"Will you come with me?" Kagome asked hopefully.

-:-

Sango smiled kindly and rubbed her forehead. "Only until we find Inuyasha…I think it would be best if I left the two of you alone." Kagome blushed.

-:-

Sango studied the boy's locker room as if it were a foreign land. It even had a unique scent to it. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of old socks and dirty laundry. There were stone benches and lockers painted brick red, like those in the girl's room and Sango engaged herself in picking out which belonged to Miroku.

-:-

"It's Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, quickly pulling Sango behind a wall of lockers. Sango peeked behind the corner in the direction Kagome had pointed and giggled at her friend's absurdity. Inuyasha sat with his back facing them, brooding no doubt. He had changed out of the red uniform, and had thrown on a blue hoodie and dark blue jeans. His long, silver mane streamed down his back in wild, glistening strands giving him a just out of the shower look, which was exactly the case.

-:-

"He can't see us, Kagome-chan," Sango chastened, raising her voice just a notch to deliberately annoy the younger girl. "Nor can he hear us."

-:-

"Shhhh!" Kagome responded sternly. Sango playfully pushed her friend in the proper direction and promised to wait around until they were done talking, however long that may take. Kagome shot her best friend a thankful smile and silently made her way towards Inuyasha. The demon hardly lifted his eyes, since his keen sense of smell and sharp hearing had warned him beforehand that he wasn't alone. At first, Inuyasha had been surprised at it being Kagome of all people, but then that surprise was replaced with bewilderment at his being able to ascertain her scent so promptly.

-:-

"Kagome?" Inuyasha had not meant to voice out his question, but it came out that way nonetheless. The schoolgirl stopped dead in her tracks. In his mind, Inuyasha could almost see her toying nervously with her skirt as she thought of something to say. He saved her the trouble by asking what she was doing here.

-:-

"Umm, well, you see…" Kagome continued to fidget with the hem of her skirt. Inuyasha lifted his eyes halfway and smirked. _I knew it. _

-:-

"I hope you don't make trips like this on a regular basis," Inuyasha chuckled. Kagome felt her face heat up at his implication. She wanted to stop her foot on the ground and scream, "no way!" but forced herself to remain composed. Inuyasha was only teasing after all.

-:-

After a few moments of silence, Kagome decided that it would be for the best if she sat down and could make eye contact with the dog demon, since he seemed less inclined to stand up himself. Kagome kneeled down beside Inuyasha and gave what she hoped was a non-threatening smile. _Yura did say that I looked like Kikyo…and after the way he reacted to her today…I **don't** want him confusing me with her. _Inuyasha watched her curiously, but didn't seem angry at her wanting to sit beside him. In fact, he seemed so content with her company that his eyes practically whispered, _amuse me_.

-:-

Kagome patted down her skirt respectfully, and then cleared her throat for his attention. Inuyasha smirked and really couldn't help himself when he reached out and ruffled up her _fresh and tidied_ skirt. Kagome shot him what she hoped was a dirty look, but only made him snigger. He smiled lazily at her and tapped her nose. "You couldn't scare a fly, Kagome."

-:-

She blushed prettily and swiped at her nose. "I could too! You just haven't seen me at my scariest!"

-:-

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, rolling his golden eyes. Kagome gave up trying to convince him of her being a real intimidating sort of girl and moved on to the imperative.

-:-

"I came to see you because—because—" The last thing Kagome wanted was for Inuyasha to think she was nosey, so she blurted out the next thing that came to mind.

-:-

"WillyoubemydateforYura'sparty?" Kagome's face absolutely lit up on fire.

-:-

_**Oh. My. God.** _Her eyes widened significantly. _Somebody shoot me now. I can't believe I just asked Inuyasha Takahashi to be my date for Yura's party. Did I really? Or am I just hearing things? Please let it be the latter! Please! Please! Please! _

-:-

Inuyasha raised a brow quizzically. "Care to repeat that? Except a little slower maybe?"

-:-

_Thank goodness! He didn't catch it on time! Yessss! _Kagome coughed a little. "Umm, I just said, uh, great game today Inuyasha!" Kagome emphasized her point by clapping the dog demon on the back several times and sustaining a wide grin on her face for as long as possible. Her happy façade belied a stormy apprehension. _What if he actually heard! I couldn't have spoken that fast could I? _

-:-

"You're such a bad liar Kagome," Inuyasha observed. He left it at that and began picking at a stray fiber that protruded from the shoulder of her school blouse. Kagome glanced sideways at the arm which semi-rested on her shoulder. All she had to do was move her head a fraction to the side—like now—and the two would come in skin-to-skin contact. His right hand grazed her smooth cheek and paused. She blinked up nervously at him. Kagome was ashamedly aware that she had purposely brushed against him. But would he know it?

-:-

His amber eyes softened and suddenly, the hand that had previously been tugging at a loose thread skimmed across her cheek. Kagome shivered in delight and excitement. Inuyasha's lips curled into a slow smile as he gently tucked back a strand of hair behind her ear, all the while, his face slowly descending. With a last adjustment on Kagome's part, Inuyasha tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips tenderly to her own.

-:-

Had the kiss been longer, Inuyasha might have felt the full extent those five seconds of kissing had given Kagome. The moment their lips touched, he had something—what was it? He had definitely felt a spark—a pulse. The feeling was nothing short of incredible. Kagome was overcome with giddiness, but disappointment at their having to break apart on account of the arrival of the hoard of soccer players.

-:-

Wait a second…something didn't sound quite right…

-:-

"KAGOMEEE! We have to get out of here!" Sango popped up like an apparition out of nowhere and snatched Kagome by the arm. She steered the frazzled girl towards the back exit, not giving her a moment's dispute. Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha and saw the same bemused expression written across his face as he watched her being dragged away. Before he disappeared completely from view, Kagome saw a tiny smile make its way into his face and she sighed inwardly.

:-:-:

:-:-:

-:-

"Wipe that smile off your face this instant!" Sango commanded, heat spreading across her cheeks. Kagome was crashing at Sango's for the night, so the two could discuss the events of that evening. So far, Kagome was making communication very difficult because all she ever did was let out heavy sighs smile dreamily while playing out a certain scene in her mind. Frankly, it drove Sango haywire for she had her own share of embarrassment. That evening, Sango had just happened to discover Miroku's gym locker when who other than the playboy himself had come in for a quick freshening up. Apparently, he had scrapped his knee rather nastily and coach Hattori ordered him to put a bandage over the wound and take it like a man.

-:-

Imagine his surprise, when, instead of finding an empty locker room (well besides Inuyasha—but everyone knows it's safest to leave the dog demon alone when he's brooding), he finds Sango digging through his locker instead.

-:-

(Flashback)

-:-

"When you're done digging through my stuff, could you hand me that bottle of rubbing alcohol?" Miroku asked, unable to keep the mirth from his voice. Sango whirled around and pressed herself against his locker in self-defense. It closed with a loud clatter.

-:-

"I didn't mean to look, honest!" she confessed, dropping a photograph of a young brunette, five times more beautiful than herself. Miroku reached down to scoop up the picture. He winced when the throbbing pain in his knee intensified. Sango immediately tried to retrieve the picture, which was a mistake, because it caused her head to bang against his own.

-:-

As painful as it was to herself, Sango could only apologize profusely for hurting Miroku. God she was being such a klutz!

-:-

"It's fine, really," Miroku rubbed at his sore head and seated himself on a bench. Sango bit her lip and looked down at his swollen knee. _Here goes nothing. _

-:-

"Could I have a look at that?" She indicated with her eyes what she wished to have a closer look at, but Miroku didn't seem to understand right away.

-:-

"Excuse me?" Sango swallowed thickly and pointed to his knee. Miroku chuckled and passed it off as nothing by moving his injured foot away from her line of vision. Sango tried again to coax him, but Miroku refused to give up the "tough guy" demeanor, which only frustrated the stubborn brunette.

-:-

"Damn it, Miroku. Let me see it this instant!" Sango clamped her mouth the instant the words came out. _Oh God, he's going to think that I'm…that I'm…overbearing or something. _

-:-

Finally caving in, Miroku presented his leg for inspection. Sango sucked in a breath at the bloody mess. The wound was just below the knee, and it tore a deep gash through his skin. _Don't they usually wear some kind of armor? _

-:-

"I figured I wouldn't need my shin guards today," Miroku admitted sheepishly. "So I left them in here." Sango gave him a tight lipped smile and began rummaging through the med kit she'd found inside his locker. Pulling out an assortment of cotton balls, Sango began dipping them in the rubbing alcohol solution and dabbing at his wound. Miroku yelped at the initial sting but settled down once he got accustomed to the pain. Once his cut was cleaned and bandaged, Miroku's cockiness returned full swing.

-:-

"So tell me Sango," the gentleman began seductively.

-:-

"What did you want to know?" Sango asked, keeping her voice neutral.

-:-

"Are you stalking me?" He whispered the last part huskily whilst bringing their faces closer together. To his surprise and disappointment, Sango let out a pearl of laughter.

-:-

"Good one Miroku," the brunette giggled and leaned forward, inadvertently placing herself within danger zone. Only, Miroku made no moves to touch her, nor did he feel prone to after her laughing in his face. His eyebrows were raised and he was so being so silent that Sang couldn't help but cough herself conscious.

-:-

"Eh hem, anyway," Sango tore her eyes away from Miroku and tried to scoot away without making it appear as if she were the least uncomfortable. "You should probably head back—"

-:-

"Why do you hate me?" The question was unexpected and so out of the blue that Sango found herself hacking out the words "what?" rather incredulously. Miroku shrugged and repeated himself, his deep blue eyes fixed on her own startled, slightly widened eyes.

-:-

"I don't hate you." Sango replied bluntly. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared down at the floor tiles. Obviously, Miroku didn't buy in to her assurance because he had yet to say anything. Sango lifted her chin bravely, but still could not look him in the eye.

-:-

"I don't," she repeated, daring to look as high as his chin. "Hate you, that is."

-:-

His next words caused goosebumps to erupt across her skin. "Then prove it."

-:-

(End of flashback)

-:-

Kagome had fallen asleep while Sango sat musing. Pushing herself to a standing position, Sango shuffled over to her sleeping friend and tucked the blanket securely around her lithe form. A glance at the alarm clock confirmed it being 4: 56 a.m. Sango paced around a little more before collapsing on the red futon propped against the wall. Her last thoughts were unclear. Whatever had happened between Kagome and Inuyasha had remained a mystery to the older brunette. And so would the incident between Miroku and herself.

-:-

The next morning, the two arrived at Shikon High with only five minutes to spare before the tardy bell.

-:-

"Ahhh!" Sango cursed, fumbling with her seat belt. Kagome exited from the passenger's side and slammed the door with a resounding thwack.

-:-

"Go on ahead, Kagome," Sango urged through the open car window. "Tell Mrs. Kurabo I'm having car troubles and will miss a few minutes of her chem. lecture."

-:-

"Oh my gosh, are you stuck!" Kagome shrieked and was by the driver's side in a flash.

-:-

"Kagome," Sango struggled with the annoying contraption (seatbelt) while sternly addressing her best friend. "Go tell Mrs. Kurabo _now_—or we'll get detention again."

-:-

Reluctantly, Kagome walked towards the school building. She only sped up when Sango yelled something about strict tardy punishments. When the sophomore was out of sight, Sango again tried to free herself, but after fruitless tries, gave up. The seatbelt refused to be unbuckled.

-:-

"Great." She muttered, stifling a yawn. "Just Great."

-:-

And couple minutes later, and without knowing it too, Sango had fallen asleep on the steering wheel. When she awoke, she found herself tucked safely in bed at home. Her eyes, heavy with sleep, sagged closed in gratification.

**A/N:** Leave a review if you're curious as to what Miroku and Sango did. Can't promise that I'll tell you in the next chapter, but it'll come out eventually. :)


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